Prison Island Break: Season Two
by Breech Loader
Summary: The continuation of the AU in which Sonic wants to break out of Prison Island Penitentiary. But compared to keeping his team from killing each other, that's the easy part. Sonic can't control everything forever, Shadow is losing his inner monster, and Silver needs to get a lot stronger. Survival is no longer a given. Abuse, M/F, M/M, N/C, Tort, Slave, Violence.
1. A Real Scourge

Prison Island Break: Season Two

By Breech Loader (And SonicFrank)

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Breech: SonicFrank's interest in writing this story has been dwindling steadily over the past couple of months. So I'm taking it on full time. Now it won't interfere with his exercise regime or job. Meanwhile I have no life AT ALL, so I've got plenty of time to write. This is the last chapter we truly wrote together.

Welcome to Season Two of Prison Island Break; an AU fanfiction. It's the Sonic Cast - In Prison! This story is not for the weak of stomach. It contains bad language, violence, and rape. Hell, there's rape in this chapter, right off the bat. And people will die.

Are you new here? Then I have advice for you before you start – read "Prison Island Break" first. And review it. If you don't do so, it's not my fault if you have a hard time understanding Prison Island Break Season Two. If you have trouble finding the first, it's in my Favourites.

For those of you who AREN'T new, the first 'Season' will not be updated any more; however the story itself continuing on this account - and it has a long, LONG way to go. You're going to have to press the Follow/Favourite button for this fanfic to keep track of this story. Go on, I'll wait!

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Chapter Fifty-Two: A Real Scourge

Shadow was already starting to come around from the sedatives that had laid him down in the Infirmary. He was dizzy, but he was also aware that he was being dragged by the ankles. He reached for a weapon instinctively, but realised that he was cuffed. Also, he'd just been given that search. His mind rewound through his last few memories - trying to kill Snivelly for trying to touch _his_ Doctor, hesitating when she had distracted him, and then getting doped up. There was only one possible consequence for attacking an officer...

The black and red hedgehog started struggling, but the guards just held one ankle each tighter, dragging his head bumpily along the floor. He was being dragged past several cells and convicts, but that didn't moderate his yells, "Oh SHIT! You're not taking me THERE!" he started yelling, even as his voice slurred slightly from the drugs.

Hole Number Three. As the reality of the situation dawned on him, the memories began to stack up. The odour. The filth on the floor. The dim lighting. About 99.9% of the convicts only knew the place as a corrupted myth. But Shadow was one of the very few who knew it first-hand. He had felt the pain. Tasted the funk. Spilled his dignity. He even recognized old markings on the tiles as being some of his own; where he'd scratched and clawed the other times he'd been dragged here. It was futile, but he _had_ to fight to try and stay out. Because once he was in, there was no coming out. Not without being punished by the wicked. By the brute. By the insane. By the Scourge…

The few inmates who had seen him dragged away were murmuring among themselves. Seeing him taken away was the closest they would get to seeing what would happen within the Hole. Them being there only prompted Shadow to struggle harder against the guards, screaming at them, "BASTARDS! YOU TAKE ME THERE AND YOU SAY I'M THE FUCKING MONSTER! YOU SAY IT! I KNOW YOU DO! I KNOW WHERE YOU'RE TAKING ME! DON'T YOU DARE! DON'T YOU _DARE!_" The door to the main prison slammed behind him, but he didn't stop screaming and kicking, loud enough to be heard even past a steel door for a while, "YOU'RE GONNA DIE FOR THIS!"

Mephiles' voice, ghastly and benign, spoke up, revealing him to be one of the dragging guards, pulling him along the increasing filth of the floor. "On the contrary, Shadow Robotnik, you're not expected to survive this time…" He heard the door open, and the foul funk of the dank cell hit him right in the face. He was going in.

There were three cells here. Usually when somebody was put in here, it was on a cool-down. All the way up to a fortnight at a time, which wasn't supposed to happen but had done so. But he was being dragged towards the one that _mattered_. Hole Three. Devil-blue eyes shone in the darkness, and met fiery red. Shadow flashed a look at Mephiles, "I _will_ kill you," he hissed at the warden, "For everything you have done to me, and to all others, I will kill you. Myself. Because I'm _better_ than you." He summoned up any possible dignity he could, before being pushed in.

It was as if the cell door had a personality all of its own. A black sense of humour that made a mockery of him. Because when it shut, it did so with stern, unrepentant authority. It kept the light out, and the stench in. It held divine freedom within an inch of Shadow's grasp, but was too sturdy and cruel to let him feel it. And it imprisoned him in with that voice.

"Somebody's been put on the _naughty list_…"

The little amount of light allowed in the cell through the food slot served only to make the shadows deeper. Shadow's wrists were still cuffed behind him, because if they hadn't been, one of the two hedgehogs now in this small, filthy little box would already be dead. Shadow knew that Solitary cells were only cleaned out about once a fortnight, and a lot of shit could build up in that time, "Goddammit... _Scourge_..."

"Such shame... such disgrace!" he heard the other monster mutter, from somewhere directly in front of him. The cell was so small that even had Shadow's hands been free he could barely have stretched his arms out. Yet the green devil was able to shroud himself within the darkness; hide in a way that kept his red-streaked playmate from pinpointing his exact location. "A princess is meant to be very, very good..."

One of Shadow's greatest fears was that this hole would successfully break him. That one day, he would come in here and just let himself tune out to a blank space and just let it happen. Let it break him, and become obedient and quiet. Or worse, he might never tune back in again, "Yeah? Well that that may be well and good for princesses, but I'm nobody's princess, ass-bandit!"

"Atta girl, Princess! Be a bad girl! Be a…" There was a pause, before Shadow felt musky, disgusting breath sneak up from behind him, right onto his ear. He swore he felt a tongue flicker on his neck too. "Quean!"

"Shit!" Shadow pulled away fast. Standing up when your hands were cuffed behind your back was a lot harder than it sounded, but he pressed his back against a wall, trying to keep Scourge in his line of sight. He was already breathing fast. Scourge knew that in this position he was afraid, despite his resistance, "If you touch me, I'll kick your damn stomach out your spine!"

"Queans are powerful... Queans are strong… But she can't be a Quean until her Daddy says so..." Scourge wagged his finger, "Daddy's little girl..." He was toying with him. Again. Misery and agony was just a game to him in this place…

The irony of the situation had a tendency to go right over Shadow's head.

He spat in Scourge's face. He knew what would come. But he also knew that he must resist it every moment of the way, for as long as he could. Mephiles only knew what went on from what he saw afterwards. He hoped this would be Shadow's last visit _every_ time. Shadow knew damn well that what would kill him would be quitting the fight. He hated to think like this. It was a matter of survival. Him versus Scourge, and a constant struggle to find out just how much of his dignity he would be stripped of this time, "Leave... me... _alone_..." he snarled, pulling back again.

He heard a tongue licking lips. The familiar meshing of saliva. Was Scourge licking the spit off his face? He couldn't tell. But the thought of it made his stomach churn. "Poor little Princess... So improper. So uncouth! Let Daddy teach her to curtsey!" And then it happened. The stinging lash of Scourge's hand across Shadow's face, mocking him.

Shadow staggered. He knew for a fact that when Scourge was washed, it was with a fire hose. In his current situation he had no access to grooming, and his nails had scratched the black and red hedgehog's cheek. Backhanded him like a bitch, "I'll not bow to you, you sick sonnuva whore..." He backed away some more. Then he realised that he had backed himself into a corner, "Never!"

"Manners! Etiquette!" Scourge yelled, angrily and amused, as if role-playing. "Curtsey for your Daddy!" A neck-grab. Another slap. More stinging. More burn. The cold floor. Shadow had fallen. And before he could stand, he was kicked. Stepped on. Stood on. Dominated. "All hail the King, Baby!"

"Fuck you!" Shadow grunted at a kick to the gut, "What, you think I'm just gonna let you do this?!" There was another kick, and it was hard enough that he threw up a little, "You, Scourge... your only reason to live is me!" He tried to get further into the corner, hacking up bile, "Without me to punish, you're nothing but another goddamn Judas Shooter!"

"Little Miss Princess requires formal lessons... Little Miss Princess could use some royal class!" Shadow felt the sudden weight, the crash, the repugnant stench overcoming him as Scourge dove onto him and joined him on the floor. Yanking on his quills. Biting razor-sharp teeth along his face. "Mmm, how pretty she will run, when all the commoners see what she's become…"

Shadow stared for several long moments at the cold concrete he was being pressed against, trying to catch some breath and some dignity, "I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I belong to nobody but myself. That is who I am!" He looked up at Scourge. Into those shining eyes, sapphire blue and bright. His own cheeks were pale enough that they too shone in what little light there was in the cell. He could handle pain; endless pain. But he was proud and this... oh damn... this was what really hurt, "I'm not yours... just leave me alone..."

"The Little Princess has a Daddy... And her Daddy, the King, RUNS THIS MOTHERFUCKER!" And then he bit down on Shadow's face. Hard. Drawing blood. The adrenaline began to rush as Scourge started kneeing his gut, slamming his head against the floor so hard and loud that the guards cackling outside could hear, and his prison clothes, stitched tight, began to shred. Just like that, it was a bloody mess, and the uncaring cell only mocked Shadow further.

Shadow tried to keep from crying out. He managed it as long as he remembered what was outside the cell. But it kept going. He was still fighting mentally. He would always fight it. But he was crying out at the punches, and the bites, the clawing grip, as he was slammed against the floor again and again, "Oh shit! Oh GOD! GOD YOU BASTARD! GAH!" Outside this cell he could fight Scourge. He might even beat him. Either way, the green hedgehog certainly wouldn't be in a condition to fuck him when he was done. But with his hands restrained so securely behind his back, he could only try and kick out to defend himself, and Scourge had learnt to keep out of the way of those strong legs, "Bastard! You BASTARD!" He could feel blood on his face, and in his mouth, and where his clothes were being torn by Scourge's nails.

Long nails. Sharp. Dirty, like the rest of him. Shadow was helpless enough as it was, but with his clothes being ripped off, and his body being battered vilely, he felt the most pathetic, worthless feeling of all. He felt helpless. Like any one of his many victims felt when they were held down, beaten and unclothed. "I RUN THIS BITCH!" Scourge yelled, though Shadow still felt as if he wasn't being addressed. Like he wasn't worthy of being talked to. "I King over this! And this... is my Fairy Fucking Princess..." Shadow felt the back of his neck being licked.

"No..." Shadow grimaced, shuddering at the wet touch, "No, I will never be yours, Scourge... I will never give in, I will never..." he spat out some blood, and started struggling violently, hard and fierce, savagely enough that he managed to throw Scourge off and get to his knees, gasping. He felt the helplessness twisting inside and a choke hitched up inside, "I'm not, I'm not..." he slumped against the cold wall, "So you had better damn well stop before I kill you..."

He could almost feel the smirk creeping up on the green demon's face. The more Shadow struggled, the more entertaining he was... But the more he didn't struggle, the more he'd be broken. This was a game to Scourge. A game where nobody won, but him... "Pretty Princess is a good girl. Pretty Princess earned a Pony Ride… With DADDY!" And just like that, Shadow was on his back again. Being overcome. Being taken. Being bitched. And with his hands cuffed behind his back and the space of the cell that he was unfamiliar with, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. "Hail to the King, Baby..." Scourge's smirk was venomous...

* * *

Prison Island had an impervious, structured rank system. And absolutely everyone on it, both official and inmate alike, had an assigned position in that structure. From the lowest of fish to Director Eggman, everyone had a spot. Everyone had worth. But only a select few had power. And even fewer had rights. At the top of the food chain was Vector, who ruled Prison Island even as a captive. For him, his rights extended to what most inmates considered 'privileges'. Rights that couldn't be taken away from him even if the highest of officials tried. Visitations were at the top of his demands.

He sat still, calm, contemplative as he waited in the visitation hall. News from the outside was of utmost importance; the messengers came to him, and he sent them out with new objectives; new orders, new commands. To run the Mafia was one thing. To control it with wit and experience was another. Without him, everything would go to Hell. The streets would become victim to a bloodbath of impudent morons trying to achieve power by means of excessive violence. No money would be made in the process. Only death and suffering; unnecessary at that. Organised Crime required a mastermind. That mastermind was Vector.

And more than that, it was imperative that he kept it that way. If it became so that he was not needed to run the Mafia; that it could be done just as well, or better, by somebody on the outside, then his lifespan in here would become briefer than the wing-beat of a butterfly. He must be needed to survive. It was true for all leaders, but doubly so for those in the more violent professions.

Espio sat beside him, cool and collected as well. Silent. Striking necessary fear into anyone who looked their way. Loyal to the end.

Armani 'Mighty' Dilio was now pushing two tables together, before taking his seat. The armadillo was another of Vector's most trusted colleagues, while at the same time he had taken just enough hits to the head to not be an intellectual threat. He was everything a mob boss could look for in an outside contact. Next to him was sitting a young Bee, whom Vector had never met before, with a grin all over his face.

"Bossman," Mighty acknowledged his employer in his thick Mexican accent. After all, it was Vector's bank account he was paid out of.

Vector was looking down at his newspaper; one brought to him by Mighty. The kind not readily available on Prison Island. The first of a stack, built up from the last time he was paid a visit. Information was power, and Vector required the papers to know. Unbeknownst to the Bee, the Boss's lack of eye contact was a means of mental stimulation. No eye contact made people feel unattained to; it kept them on their toes. And it made anytime Vector did make eye-contact extremely intimidating. "Good to see you again, Mighty. Life on the outside's going well for you?" It was a question of etiquette, masking a heavy dose of checking up. What Vector was really asking is if everything's gone smoothly; if the armadillo's fucked anything up.

"Everything's goin' great, Boss. Business is smooth - no hiccups, no changes in upper management, y'know..." Mighty knew all the etiquette, "Things goin' smoothly in here?" What he meant by that, of course, was whether Vector was getting the comforts he desired, and the contacts he needed, or if Mighty had to make any 'calls', "News says there's been a coup'la new arrivals in here and all."

The intimidation effect didn't seem to be having the usual effect on the bee, who was bouncing up and down in his chair somewhat, eager to enter the conversation.

The silent chameleon beside Vector kept a hard stare on the bee, unprovocative but filled with warning. According to the natural order of things, a stealthy reptile like himself would make a meal out of an insect like the one before him. And whoopin' he'd receive if he spoke out of line, or even annoyed the Boss in the slightest.

"That friend of yours is planning Parole Plan B," Vector spoke to Mighty, though his eyes never left the paper. The page turned. "He's gathered a team of cohorts, to cover every corner, tie up every loose end. He's clever. But he's got no respect. Not even the courtesy to invite me'n Espio a spot. I'm gonna rectify it personally. But I want insurance. His Life Insurance. His family. I want names, faces, addresses, occupations. Close friends, too. Who's the bee?"

Mighty nodded at the request from Vector, "Son of a Legitimate Businesswoman..." he tapped a business heralds. The front page read 'Honeybee Industries plans Global Expansion'. "She's lookin' to have a head-start on her competitors. This is her son, Charmee Bee."

"Hey, Partner!" Charmee grinned.

Mighty held up a hand before the bee could be turned inside-out, "Yeah, I know he acts as sharp as a bucket but he's got some serious smarts when it comes to dealing with finances. His mom thinks he needs some responsibilities and discipline. She sent him with me as a show of trust."

Vector remained quiet for a moment. Nobody could tell what he was thinking about. Was it the paper? Was it the information Mighty had just given him? Was it the bee's hello? Was it something else entirely? No one could tell. Espio, though, had a very direct reaction. His eyes tightened their threatening gaze, angered that the newcomer had referred to the Boss as anything beneath his illustrious rank. If anything, the label of 'partner' that the bee had addressed him with was an undeserved demotion. And if Vector showed any signs of nuisance on the matter, Espio would do something about it.

"So why's he here?" the large croc asked, only turning his head to scan the page before him.

"Kid, you're gonna call Bossman Vector 'Sir'," Mighty warned Charmee. The Bee looked a little chastised, but still excited as Mighty turned back to Vector, "He keeps getting into DUI and D&D," Mighty pointed out, "But Mrs Bee needs him to learn good manners and get all responsible before she lets him take over her business... Y'see, he definitely never, ever shot nobody."

"Yessir," Charmee was bouncing still, "Mom figures we can all make a profit and I did the math and stuff and figured I can get your affiliations paying about half in taxes as what ya do right now."

Vector got the message. And he turned another page. Suddenly, just like that, the new guy was elated, because the Boss spoke to him directly. "Tell me why you're here."

"Well..." Charmee sagged a little, "Mom's expandin' her business..." he remembered himeslf, "Sir. And she thinks you could help her. And I could help you help her. And you could help me. And when I take over from her in a few years, when I'm all responsible, I could help you out some more. 'Cus she's goin' global, and there's all that pesky competition." Honeybee Industries was a huge company, and it dealt mostly in electronics. But so did lots of companies, so it had competition even when it was right at the top. It was renowned for bullying smaller companies into bankruptcy or just swallowing them up, but that was tougher to do with its rivals.

"And your mother is proposing a partnership?" Vector asked, right to the point again.

"She didn't say partnership," Charmee paused and remembered again, "Sir. She said 'Mutually beneficial arrangements resulting in a partnership if such arrangements show it's profitable to both parties'. I figure it'd be profitable in about six months. She thought she could show you an example of my work" He pushed forward some papers. They were written in a terrible scrawl, but they showed how one of Vector's smaller affiliations could cut their taxes by a third.

"Apparently he had a hangover at the time," Mighty chipped in, "He's got no discipline, Boss. And he definitely never shot a guy. Definitely. But I knew you'd be interested."

"My mom also says we can share some of our lawyers," Charmee added.

Vector stood quiet again. Reading. Contemplating. Hashing things out in his head. "Espio, why don't you ask the question? I don't feel like askin'."

Espio moved even less than his Boss. But finally spoke up. "The Boss wants to know why you're here and not your mother. Your calculations are of no use to him; he's no illiterate. He could have made them on his own. You're of no use to him whatsoever when you're not the direct source. Proper Business Etiquette would involve both Head Parties, not a messenger who knows how to count. He'd also like to know why Mighty chose to waste his time by bringing you, and not the C.E.O. of Bumblebee Industries herself. Is the Boss not worthy of her time?" He asked, as if having a direct link to the croc's mind. "These questions require no verbal answers. Prove your worth. When he next visits, Mighty will return with a full report of your progress. As for you, the Boss will summon a revisit from you if he deems it worthwhile."

"Until then, Mighty's gonna keep an eye on you. Don't shoot anyone," Vector told him, still without raising his head to look at either one of them.

"Mom said you'd ask that," Charmee replied, "She wants you to meet me first 'cus of the discipline things. And then if the discipline thing works out, I can get some responsibilities from her."

"He's 16. Boss. His mom wants him take over Honeybee Industries when he's 20, but she's worried about him taking on Meth first," Mighty explained, "The partnership's up as an offer when he can come to work without a hangover. And she wants him to learn his business acumen from Legitimate Businessmen like you. It's not my decision, but I'm seeing some serious potential in the offer," he added.

"So I'm wanted as a babysitter," Vector replied. The paper was finally placed down, and Vector looked toward Mighty. "This is why I can't put you in charge, Mighty. You're a good sport; you've never let me down when it comes to brawn, or followin' orders. But when it comes to thinking for yourself, making choices, you always crack. But now the kid's in, ain't he? We gotta commit. So if you're not right about all this, you better make yourself right. If the kid messes up, you've messed up. You're good at what you do, Mighty. I know you're gonna ask if I need you in here. If you should stack yourself a few more years. But don't, because the answer's no. Espio's got it all under control."

Mighty sagged. Vector was right; he had been ready to ask that, later, "I'll keep a good eye on the kid, Boss. And Honeybee Industries too. I guess he's in... but that puts his mom in too. Remember that Celeb scandal with the credit card crap about six months back? That kept this kid's trial outta the papers. Guess who had the political strength to set that up?"

"Ain't nothin' people like to read about better'n Celebs getting their lives shat on!" Charmee agreed, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"You've always had, and always will, have potential, Mighty. Your instincts are good, and I trust you." Vector nodded, going back to his paper, "But the way things are these days, you're just not needed. So stay out there, and keep moving forward toward proving you can lead. Or at least fit in. At the end of the day, you're not necessary."

He listened to the chastened Armadillo continue with his updates.

* * *

Back in Hole Number Three, time had blurred. For some lucky few, it could whirr past. Others felt it drag on endlessly. Without sun or clocks, there was only the beating of the heart to tell you how long it had been.

Shadow's body was one big, bloody ache.

The black and red hedgehog was laying face-down in filth, his pants dragged around his ankles, his jacket torn open and his shirt shredded, with his hands still cuffed behind his back. He was covered in blood from cuts both shallow and deep, and cum stained his back. He was breathing hard and fast. Even now that the weight was off him, he let out a brief yell every so often, to keep himself focused and stop him from simply drifting away. He turned to glance up at the grinning Scourge, with a look of hatred, but it was smeared with pain. Most shamefully of all, salty tears were mixing with the blood tricking down his face.

"I... I'm still in here!" he insisted desperately, both to Scourge and himself. His breath was rapid and shallow, "Still here! Still here!"

All the while, his violator had not stopped talking. Of obscenities, of nonsense, of topics that had no relation to what he'd been doing; to what pain and misery he'd been inflicting. Even the Corrections Officers who ran the prison wouldn't get away with not addressing Shadow directly; with treating him like a washrag for them to smear their stains on without so much as a pardon. But Scourge provided the ultimate humiliation; the ultimate degradation. And what's worse? He got away with it every time. He made Shadow feel dirty inside. Because thanks to the mistreatment he'd suffered at the green devil's hands, his insides were filthy. The green hedgehog's semen was inside him, and stained his insides as much as it stained his soul. All the while, Scourge just sang. And hit. And laughed. And raped…

Shadow rested his forehead against the floor for a few moments, breathing in deeply. His body was all but shattering in pain. It had taken several hours of beating from Scourge to force him into enough submission to properly fuck him, but with the black and red hedgehog restrained he had succeeded once again. Remembering that green shaft had been inside children too made Shadow vomit all over again. He yelled out, "I hate you!" he managed. Then, he curled up slightly, cringing, gritting his teeth. Inside, he felt stained beyond all reckoning. A choking sob left him, "I hate... hate… HATE YOU!" He knew from experience that once was never enough for Scourge. He wondered if Mephiles really was going to make him die in this black little hell this time.

Scourge was whistling. Some song or other; Shadow knew the tune, but didn't bother placing what the actual song was. He had possession of one of his victim's shoes, which he tossed up and down nonchalantly. And then he sang. Shadow recognized what he'd been whistling, now. And it was even more taunting, "Hey Pretty Princess, don't you cry... Daddy's gonna wipe those tears so dry… And since that slap he wipes will sting... Daddy's gonna make you call 'im KING! Heh heh..."

"Fuck... you don't rule... anything... outside of this damn hole..." Shadow was shaking, and his voice was hoarse from screaming, "You're wrong, and sick, and you're not my Daddy and you're not my King..." His face looked all the worse for that he couldn't wipe anything off it. Blood kept getting in his eyes. He kept feeling himself slipping away and he grasped it back frantically, "And... and you know what? I'm gonna be getting... getting out of here soon... And you won't be needed!"

Scourge paused his singing, then pulled Shadow to his knees by his quills roughly. He gave Shadow a slap to the face that split his lip with his own shoe, then dropped the gasping hedgehog back down. Then he continued singing, "And if this reigning King don't shine, Daddy's gonna make that Princess whine..." It was as if he was not hearing a word Shadow was saying. As if nothing Shadow said or did or was, mattered. As if Shadow himself had no worth at all.

"SHUT _UP!_ SHUT _UP!_ SHUT _UP!" _Shadow wailed.

"And since she likes to cry when it hurts... Daddy's gonna take that cunt of hers…" Shadow felt a foot push against his face, digging into his cheek, "Oh dear little Princess! Break time's over! Rise and shine to play with Daddy some more!" Scourge walked on him. Literally walked on him. One foot on his face, the other on his upper back, the following step on his sore ass. "What fun Daddy has with his little Fairy!"

"I'M NOT YOURS!" Shadow screamed again, and then gave another sob as his face was trodden into where he had vomited. Then he cried out again as his stained and painful ass was trodden on. Scourge was rough enough to make it bleed, "OH GOD! I... I..." he choked it up, "You... stop..." It always reached this point, sooner or later. The point where he had to choose between resisting mentally or physically, and mental self-control always won. He had to focus his mind with all his strength, and it meant he couldn't fight back physically. In some ways Scourge reminded him of the McDonalds, the difference being that he wasn't able to _kill_ Scourge, "STOP IT AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed desperately, laying limp.

The familiar thump of the green body before him dropping down upon him sounded, and around him were wrapped the creeping hands that searched through his chest fur, even playing with his nipples as if Shadow were a pathetic woman. The bite of the ear followed. Then a slip of the tongue. That accursed, salivated licking. And that abominable whispering. "Or what, _princess?_" Scourge asked mockingly.

Shadow had no answer for that. He just yelled out to keep himself from breaking completely. The bite on his ear was far from a playful nip; it drew blood. Scourge was grinding against him, and enjoying the progress he had made. Was it a couple of hours or a couple of weeks? He took a couple of breaths, "D-Daddy... is a lousy king..." Caving to the role-play, just to keep that nugget of himself together, "And a lousy dad." If it would at least make Scourge address him, acknowledge his presence as a person, it was worth it. But it was so obscenely _degrading_.

"And this Princess is so _lousy_ herself... So dirty... So undignified... So _disgraceful_." Shadow tried his best to be numb to it. But he never could be. It hurt too bad inside. It pained his pride so much. Perhaps it was better that way. That way, he knew he still had pride to be hurt. Scourge kept gripping; groping, scratching and biting, "No decorum… No prestige... Just outright _filth_…" And then, with a brutal thrust, Scourge was inside him again. Hard and filthy, he was inside. Shadow felt his face pushed against the floor as Scourge began his fast, rhythmic pumping.

"NO! OH GOD NO!" Shadow screamed. He could just imagine the wardens outside laughing over his pain. Or he would have, if he could have thought of anything other than that long shaft up his ass. Scourge sped up, and his screams increased. And those uncut nails clawed into him, deep enough to draw more blood, staining his prison jacket. Scourge was pulling at his quills, ruffling them entirely out of their usual slick style. Even pulling a few of them out, making him yell again, "OH GOD! Oh... no more... _D-Daddy_..." He spat out blood again and squeezed his eyes tight shut, trying to stem the flood of tears.

Scourge paused for a moment, still inside him, but the thrusting stopped. Shadow felt the green monstrosity's cheek press against his own. "_What_ was that you called me, Pretty Princess..?" he hissed into Shadow's ear gleefully, giving him an unspoken ultimatum... Bend, or be broken…

"Hnnngh..." Shadow shuddered, trying to focus at least the resistance in his head. The pause earned him the act of Scourge rubbing his face against the blood, vomit and faeces on the floor meaningfully. Scourge hadn't made him eat his own shit so far, but there was a first time for everything, "D-Daddy... _please_ stop…"

With Scourge's chin on his shoulder, Shadow felt that wicked grin form. He felt Scourge win. And he felt himself lose. Cum-stained, bloody and battered, Shadow had submitted to being beaten. He'd submitted to being owned. Submitted to being weak, even if only for a little while. And on top of him, he heard Scourge give his whoop of victory.

And then the green monster plunged straight back into his nightmarish games, dragging Shadow, screaming and shaking, down into them…

* * *

Breech: Come on then. The story continues, but there's a long, LONG way to go before… well, before the end. Which, you should know, hasn't been finalised... Also, leave a review. You read it; tell me what you think!


	2. Ice-Cold Rage

Prison Island Break: Season Two

By Breech Loader

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Breech: Writing this story is like rapping. I keep thinking up the most awesome lines and the most incredible scenes, and I make places to put them in, and it makes the story longer and better with every passing moment.

Anyway, SonicFrank initially wrote this chapter with me, and played Sonic very badly in it. But then he left so I was free to revise 90% of his dialogue. Even now Sonic acts like a total prick, so just _imagine_ how bad he was originally. You're lucky you'll never see it.

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Chapter Fifty-Three: Ice-Cold Rage

Back when his clothes varied day by day and his wrists were cuff-scar free and he got to choose what he ate, Sonic the Hedgehog had been a traveller. He'd take off to tour with his band that was comprised of him and his siblings, or run toward his next heist, or head off to incite one of many anti-government protests that he indulged himself in. Regardless of his aims, he never stayed in one place for very long. And even then, before he was sentenced, before the many trials and the countless secure holding cells and the numerous hearings, saying goodbye to Mina was always tough on him. Now, being escorted back to the Main Prison, saying goodbye to her wasn't any easier. But he smirked confidently as he left, leaving her with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Just as he had expected, Nate was the one to escort him out.

Of course, this was no longer such a good thing. Sonic had used a lot of people in prison - all of them people who had let themselves be taken in by his wit and charm. But it had been easier those times because a lot of them were assholes. It was different here. Harder. Because the people he was using were not merely decent people; they were the only decent people around. He had the unpleasant feeling that came whenever he felt guilty about something, and it was getting tougher to smother.

Nate glared at him. He was a few weeks away from retirement. He could retire with dignity. Or he could be entirely caught out and shame his job, his family, and lose his wife, all over a young felon whose intentions most likely revolved around a selfish and dangerous escape, "Wipe that smirk off your face, Ogilvie," he snapped at him as they paused just past the primary gate, "I'm a man of my word. So here's your phone." He pushed a cell-phone into Sonic's hands. If he didn't hand it over, there was little doubt that he would be ratted out.

Sonic took the slim phone, twirled it in his hand like a pistol, and slid it into his trousers, "For me? You shouldn't have," he shot back whimsically. It was true, and Nate knew it. He shouldn't be doing what he was doing. "Looks like I have somethin' to call you out on, eh Old Man?" he continued jesting. It was a two-bladed remark, "Heh. I crack myself up."

"Shadow didn't keep his temper, just like I tried to warn you he wouldn't, surprise, surprise," Nate returned, "If anything's going to do some cracking when he gets out of Solitary, it'll be your neck." It was unlikely Sonic would be able to use Nate again. The guard scowled. He'd gotten nothing out of the bargain. Nothing at all. In a way, Nate considered, it served him right for falling to the levels of corruption that other guards had done, "And Doctor Blossom isn't in the best of moods today." He slapped Sonic's cuffs on his wrists, and opened the door to the Infirmary.

Amy was in the middle of disinfecting some tools that Sonic neither knew the use of, nor did he particularly want to find out. And it was as if the temperature had dropped several degrees right upon entering the room.

Sonic had at least six different snide, punny remarks to throw back at the elderly warden, one of them being the very 'breakneck' position he was being put into. But he had more important things to concentrate on. Being in the infirmary, about to get searched with the all-knowing Nate watching like a hawk put the hedgehog in a very jeopardous spot. Despite being accused of using those around him, he now had to rely on his own wit to get past the impending examination without having the phone discovered. And Doctor Blossom was in no mood for being charmed.

Amy turned to face Sonic. She glared at the hedgehog, and her cold expression was all the more effective for how she was normally so warm and kind. She'd made what she'd _thought_ was love with the felon. And while there hadn't been the _promise_ of more, he hadn't done anything to dissuade her from thinking there was the _potential_ for more. And what had he done? He'd gone out of his way to get a conjugal with some celebrity singer and had a good day of fucking her. And his smile wasn't helping at all. She picked up something large and shiny, and pumped it with all the efficiency of a shotgun. She was going to give Sonic the investigation of a lifetime.

"Well Doctor, this fellow will need a good searching," Nate informed her.

"You can remove his handcuffs and leave, Nate," Amy nodded, not looking at Sonic, "With my assurance that he'll get all the searching he can take."

Sonic grinned right at the senior officer when he turned and held out his hands, "Welp, sounds to me like the ol' 'Confidentiality Cause' has you all hung up, eh Gramps?" he asked, knowing Nate would love to stay and make sure the phone was found. "It's all good, you know my cell number, right? We can talk any time!" The puns were too numerous to bare. The hedgehog found himself saying them before he could think them up. When the cuffs were undone and it was time for Nate to leave, he rose his right hand to his ear, with his thumb and pinky mocking a phone. Then he mouthed "Call me," with an obnoxious wink.

He couldn't get away with it forever. Nate gave him a solid baton to the lower gut, making him double over in pain and knocking all the wind out of him. Amy turned her back right on the swing too, and for once said nothing.

"That'll teach you to talk back to your elders and betters," Nate snapped, "Or maybe not; your kind never learns." He strode out of the room to wait outside for when Amy was done. That might be some time later.

Amy turned back to Sonic, who was still doubled over, "Well then, Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog," she spoke sharply, using his full name, "Strip!"

The inmate was still recovering from the blow, so he didn't oblige right away. "Man, Grandpa over there really needs to get laid," he joked to himself, wheezing a little from the blow. The plan was in motion. It was an unfortunate truth that Sonic didn't particularly like, but in order to escape from a prison such as this one, a convict had to use every means available to him. This unfortunately left him having to take advantage of and betray those humanely kind enough to treat him well. It made him feel a little sick inside. But once he was outside, he wouldn't have to do asshole crap like this, "Jeez, I never knew pink could be so cold," he told her, undoubtedly preying on her obvious emotions.

Amy all but growled, "Everything's a joke to you, Sonic. You just love having fun at other people's expense. Why should I be nice to you when a psychopath like Shadow can display more sensitivity?" Sonic had used her. Completely taken advantage of her trust in him, just to get a nice fuck. Made her betray her ethics. And put her career at risk. And then he had completely betrayed her. She tried to believe that all people had goodness in them. If she'd misjudged Sonic, who else had she misjudged? It was a horrible thought.

Just as he'd suspected. Amy was furious at him for having a conjugal. She was disgusted with him. And herself. And on top of that, it was perfectly possible that she was jealous too. But he had to play along. "Where is that bozo, anyway? He stood me up on our play date!" The doctor's emotional state pained him inside. And it being entirely Sonic's fault didn't make the situation any easier to cope with. Luckily, he was the type to consider everything. A considerate fellow, as he liked to think of himself. And so he'd prepared a trump card to quell her anger. One he had to use when the time was right.

"Snivelly sent him to Solitary Hole Number Three," Amy returned, "He was effectively defending me from the little worm's threats. I doubt Mephiles will have removed his cuffs, so he's probably helpless to defend himself against Scourge right now." Indeed, there was no guarantee Shadow would survive at all, "Do you find that hilarious too?"

Sonic grimaced; inwardly anyway. Shadow was a psychotic murderer, and that was just one of the qualities that made him necessary for the plan. It was his involvement that kept outsiders from wanting in, and the insiders from acting out. Arranging that conjugal had been Sonic's way to gain Shadow's trust and a more stable relationship. And Sonic couldn't try to make the same deal twice because there was no way Nate would allow it now. A new ace was necessary, "Y'know Doc, I'm startin' to think you're not too happy that I got a day of chained-up freedom," he began unzipping his jacket, eyes dead on Amy. "If you're pissy at me, just go ahead and say so, but don't stand there with your rubber gloves and your fancy little enema-stick and act like it's my fault Shadow got stuck in the Hole. If this Snerdly fellow's the one responsible, we can get back at 'im!"

"Pft," Amy waved a hand dismissively, "Revenge. It's a long and lonely road, Ogilvie. Where do you think it ends?" Angry as she was at Sonic, she had no intention of indulging in revenge. Many of the convicts in this place had fallen down that wayside. Too many deaths and too much pain was attributed to it, "I don't want any part of any plan you have to make other people suffer. I'm a _doctor_. And I live my life hoping that I can set an example to others by sticking to my beliefs."

Sonic shrugged, "I think I've been in here enough times with enough bruises to prove I don't plan a damned thing; I roll with the punches, and stand up for what's right. Here I thought you believed in me."

"I thought I did too," Amy's lips were pressed into a thin line, "Until I discovered you consider other people's feelings as tools for your own personal entertainment," her lip trembled, "It's not over nothing! I try to believe there's good in everybody, Sonic! I thought I saw it in you! And you made a fool out of me! If I'm wrong about you, who else am I wrong about? Maybe I'm wrong about everything? And more than ever you have me afraid that rather than raising others to my level... I may sink to yours!"

"Well ain't that just peachy!" Sonic crossed his arms and tapped his foot; a stance that seemed all too natural to him. "I'm waitin' for the part where you call me some kinda monster, too! It's what you're thinkin', isn't it?" he asked, pulling on his shirt to untuck it from his trousers. He had to stall on getting to the pants, because that's where the phone was hidden. In this temper, she was never going to hold it for him, "How about we skip the name calling and act like one of us has a college degree, eh Doc? Tell me what your problem is! It can't just be Shadow; you know I didn't plan on that! You're pinker than usual and I wanna know why!"

"I think I have the right to care about somebody's pain whether it's your fault or not!" Amy snapped at him, "And if you really don't know what my problem is, then you're even worse than I thought! I was fool enough to have intercourse with you, and it turns out I'm just a glorified sex toy! I wouldn't mind you screwing that singer, if you hadn't deliberately manipulated me into doing it too! Did you do it for the blackmail material? For your ego? Or for the sheer joy of pumping your semen into a woman?"

The doctor had a lot of damn good points, and they were making Sonic feel increasingly guilty. The blue hedgehog cracked his neck to the side, and crossed his arms again. "Well that's just dandy. Look at Little Miss Humanitarian now! Whatever happened to all that faith you had in schmucks like me?" he asked, removing his shirt though his eyes never left Amy's even while it went over his head, "What was it you whispered in my little ear? Somethin' about trust? Confidence? Now that you're tossin' false motives in my face and wavin' middle fingers my way, it all sounds like a buncha mumbo-jumbo fib-vomit in hindsight, Toots!" He thought that this had become a lovers' quarrel. But in fact he was insulting Amy with every word he said. Although he was more emotionally invested in it than he had intended, it was still just what he needed. Just what the team needed. Just what the plan needed. He had to remind himself that the plan came first. He needed to escape; to return to the resistance and be their mascot of freedom again. And some dirt on this government-sanctioned slice of Hell wouldn't go amiss.

Amy's emerald green eyes started to fill up with tears. It was awful. His mocking words might be staged, but her emotions were not. She turned her back on him suddenly, and ran into her office, crying and searching for tissues. Sonic had used her. She put everything into her job, and now she had risked it for a jerk like him? It didn't help that today, while it was only Sonic's fault by extension of trying to get on Shadow's good side, the mentally ill hedgehog had been injured and dragged to Solitary, where he might very well be further injured. For trying to protect her, no less.

This was just the distraction he needed. Not quite the one he planned, but in retrospect, it was even better. The hospital beds used on Prison Island Penitentiary weren't the standard-issue kind that were normally found in hospitals; they were old, donated, refurbished military bunks. Used mainly in barracks over forty years prior. When he ducked to check out the underside of the nearest one, he was relieved that he had guessed right; the springs holding the mattress up were the wire-fence kind. Perfect for lodging contraband between the spring and the cushion. He only had a few days before Amy would inevitably change the beds, but that was time enough to send somebody back for it.

He stood up quickly, before she could catch him. Mission Accomplished. But as soon as it was, the weight of the situation dawned on him. Amy was hurt. And it was his fault. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't fix it. He'd already lost Nate's friendship, but that had been kind of a given. He couldn't sleep at night knowing he'd lost Amy's, too.

Amy was still crying, although she was trying to calm herself. She knew that she cared far too much that Sonic had gone and had a conjugal. She couldn't let him see her this way. But his words really stung, with him practically claiming that her beliefs were fake and put on. And she had a job to do; she couldn't leave a convict alone and unrestrained in the Infirmary. She wiped her eyes, and tried to clean off the smeared makeup. She didn't really have the time to reapply it though, so when she stepped back out of her office, she looked rather a mess.

"Okay, Sonic. Strip and we'll get this over with," she told him, trying to keep her voice from trembling, "Then you can go back to the main prison."

It was time. Time to play the trump card. Time to lie. For all the right reasons, he figured, "Amy..." Sonic started, bravely looking into her eyes. Though his were quivering just as much as hers. "I know you don't wanna hear this. Heck, you probably don't wanna touch me with that four-foot rod you've been threatenin' me with. But I'm gonna tell you something, okay? And I want you to listen." The truth of the matter was that Amy was right. He had betrayed her trust. And he was about to do it again, in order to regain it. If it meant keeping Amy's spirits up and maintaining her smile, Sonic was willing to lie to her a million times over.

"Just strip and bend over, Sonic," Amy replied, "I never enjoy seeing people here, but for you I have more reasons than normal." She picked up something complicated, metal, and long, "Don't try to squirm out of a good old fashioned cavity search by being witty and charming."

Sonic didn't respond. His expression hardened, and he stared at her long and hard. The blue hedgehog's own excess of ego unwittingly prevented him from apologising or even begging her listen. He just undid his trousers, and pushed them down along with his briefs. Then he turned around, and bent over with his elbows on the bunk.

Amy gathered herself up. Thorough searches weren't dignified for either of the people involved. She snapped her gloves to her wrist, and tried to put all thoughts of 'he deserves it' out of her mind. At least she had the decency to apply plenty of chilly lubricant first. Then she started rummaging. Sonic's butt was tight and hot from his athletic lifestyle. But that wasn't what she was interested in, as she started by parting the cheeks and then right into the hole.

Having been transferred from one prison to another, as well as being the troublesome convict that he was, Sonic had gone through this plenty of times. Having Amy rummage in his colon was uncomfortable. It was embarrassing. It was a little painful. Still, he managed to barely wince, "Find anything of interest? There're about sixteen dudes in my wing alone who'd love to be in your spot right now," Sonic told her, trying to make light of the situation. But in truth, he was quite angry himself. _At_ himself, "What you really wanna check is my jacket. But hey, take your time. I would."

Amy just pushed around deeper. Her hands were pretty cold - almost as cold as the atmosphere in the room. She was fairly aware that this wouldn't be the first time Sonic would have been investigated. Cavity searches were the favoured method for Medics to show that they were annoyed. And it wasn't her intention to hurt Sonic. Just put him on a level of embarrassment too, "It must be horrible to not be in charge for once, Sonic," she told him. She had to go pretty deep to make sure there was nothing in his colon. She almost wished there was somebody in here to watch, but then she'd have had to mind her words, "Even now you make fun of me."

"Up yours," Sonic shot back, glowering in the irony of the term. "I understand this is routine procedure, but everything else you've put me through tonight? All the jabs, the stabs, and the scabs you're leavin' behind?" his arrogance increased without him realising, "I don't think it's gonna work between us."

"Wow, you just came up with that? Smart," Amy replied. It was several minutes before she completed the search, "And you'd better hope you can brown-nose another conjugal from one of the guards, because you won't be getting any special treatment from me!" She pulled off the disposable gloves and binned them, leaving Sonic standing there naked while she laboriously searched his clothing. She put on a poor imitation of Sonic's voice, "I've got something to tell you, babe; your decency just made you so much easier to score with," she turned his pockets inside out to check them, "Now you've got your fun blackmail material... you even know about those horrid pictures... You're as bad as Mephiles!" Her voice shook a little as she tried to keep from crying again.

Sonic knew a bluff when he saw it. Though with someone like Amy, he could never be quite sure when the right time to hug her was, when she was angry. So he refrained, and just stuck to speaking. "Okay, first of all, if I wanted to blackmail you, I'd have taken some kinda proof. And Shadow would've tried real hard to pull my tongue outta my mouth and beat me to death with it," he started, awkwardly bending over to pull his trousers back up. "And second of all," he paused, fastening the button, and turned to face her. "Why don't you trust me, Amy...? Why don't you trust me enough to just ask, instead of hoppin' to conclusions that make you all teary-eyed?" It was almost time to reel her in. The trump card was shining.

"Trust may be all about having no proof - but it also relies on not having been tossed aside like a used paper plate!" Amy snuffled, "You think I'm jumping to conclusions? What do you expect me to think? You just had a conjugal with a pretty celebrity singer!" she rubbed her nose, "I already trusted you! This is what happened!"

"You would've had the chance to get your facts straight before all this if you had just changed your tactical campaign a smidge and asked!" his voice rose. This was more than a lovers' quarrel; it felt almost like a break-up to something he wasn't aware was even intact, "If you trusted me, Amy, why didn't you just ask? Why don't you? It's not too late," his voice softened as he reasoned with her, tossing his jacket onto the hospital bed behind him while he put his shirt back on. "Better yet, since you haven't, I will. If it means that much to you, why didn't you try to stop me?"

"I shouldn't have to stop you," Amy replied, "You didn't have to ask for that conjugal. And you didn't have to go on it! Would me stepping in and stopping you have changed your feelings for me? I'd hoped you'd turn it down... but you didn't..." she looked ready to cry again, "If I'd gone ahead and prevented you... I'd just be kidding myself. At least now I know the truth..." She started to turn away from him, trying to hide the tears welling up in her eyes again. Yes, he meant enough to her, that she'd rather have his honest affections, than some sort of forced corruption of them.

"Do you, Amy? Do you really?" he asked, trying to urge her into asking him. If she'd only ask... The blue hedgehog didn't realise that it was his own pride, his own failure to ask for her forgiveness, that was doing this. He coiled his fists. "How _dare_ you act like I don't care! I'm the only one of the ten-thousand scum-suckin' prison-pukes you've dealt with who ever has and you have no right to-" he paused, reminding himself of the situation. Amy was crying. She was hurting. And he was yelling, causing her more pain by holding off the Damage Control. "All right, fine. Perfect! I'm done standin' here like an idiot with a rod up my ass. You remember who I am, but you've forgotten that I'm real." He grabbed his jacket, and began throwing it on. "You wanna stand there stabbin' at me with your conclusions but not have the common decency to ask questions first, like you're some kinda victim and I'm more of a crook than my record says I am, I'm not gonna take it. You wanna treat me like a fuck-up, I'm gonna treat you like a Staff Member." He zipped his jacket up, still holding something in his hand that Amy couldn't quite see. Then he began heading for the door, although it was strictly forbidden and he'd most likely get another solid blow to the gut by Nate for it. What prevented Amy from stopping him, though, was what he threw at her. "I've got better friends downstairs than I do up here." With that, he was gone. But the light packet he had thrown hit Amy right on the side of the cheek.

"Why's it so important that I ask? Why can't you just tell me-" Amy bent over and picked up the packet, staring at it. The packet that contained an unused condom. Then she burst into tears all over again, partly from shock this time, "Why didn't you just tell me?" All over again she felt as if she had been made a fool of, shouting at Sonic when it seemed he didn't deserve it, "And now I've misjudged you again..."

Even as Sonic stepped out of the room without clearance, Nate stepped forward and delivered a baton to the midriff, "You're not going anywhere until the Doctor authorises that you're clean," he told the blue hedgehog. He pulled him back in, only to see that she was crying. He turned to Sonic, "NOW what have you done?!"

Sonic was obviously very cross with him. He stared at Nate with green poison in his eyes. "Irony is, turns out I didn't do anything. And if I had..." his stare turned to a grin. "It wouldn't be nothin' you haven't. Eh, Old Man?"

"Take him away, Nate!" Amy was still crying. She wiped her eyes, smearing her makeup, "Just take him away!"

Nate looked at Sonic venomously. Then he snapped the cuffs back on him, and dragged him out of the Infirmary.

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Not so very far away, Shadow was now naked, face down and covered in filth. It was on his face, it was in his quills, it was ingrained in the white fur on his chest. Time had lost all meaning by now. Spunk stained his back and thighs heavily. Blood trickled all over him. His wrists were bruised from struggling with the cuffs. Not all of it was from his cuts; he'd fought hard despite the cuffs that held his hands behind his back. But there was also blood staining his anus, and that _was_ his. Scourge liked it when his victims screamed. Never mind the unrelenting ache of his upper body; lower down he felt as if he had been torn apart.

To his personal inner shame, there were silent tears running down his cut and bruised face. He had vomited at least twice in sheer disgust at himself. And once his body had temporarily satisfied Scourge's sexual desires, he had been forced to endure further beatings to keep him helpless, and endless taunting. But eventually even the green devil had run out of steam.

So now Scourge was lying asleep on top of Shadow's back, effectively using him as a bleeding, sweating, cum-stained mattress.

Shadow was doing his utmost to stay focused. It was taking all his strength to fight back mentally, never mind physically. He wanted to scream a lot at the voices in his head that were telling him that it would be easier to just lie back and let it all happen. But that would have woken Scourge. The fact that he was going to reawaken sooner or later anyway wasn't a thought that Shadow wanted to entertain.

But if Shadow had to choose just _one_ thing that he and Scourge had in common, it was that Scourge slept almost as badly as he did. The green hedgehog tossed and turned on top of him, the quills on his back cutting into Shadow's deeply. Occasionally he kicked out randomly, which sometimes hit Shadow. Or he snarled in his sleep. And he kept muttering to himself constantly, one half of past arguments, deals gone wrong, and ugly fights.

Not that Shadow was listening much when he had far more important things to focus on, like the raging fiery agony between his thighs, but some of Scourge's words _did_ persist.

"_When… ya comin' home… Dad..?"_

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Breech: Now get reviewing! And tell your friends! I'm going to keep writing this story as long as I have ideas for it. And I have many ideas. That's right; I'm not even going to stop if it isn't fun to write! (Which it still is)


	3. One Of Our Hedgehogs Is Missing

Prison Island Break: Season Two

By Breech Loader

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Breech: No, Fangs, I would not mind AT ALL if you drew fan-art of my story. I really don't mind which scene you want to draw, or even your drawing skills. In fact, I consider it a HUGE compliment.

Also, cover pic changed! And doesn't Shadow look at his smexiest? I guess that means you ain't losing him from the story just yet…

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Chapter Fifty-Four: One Of Our Hedgehogs Is Missing

Shadow had been out of the main population, and in the Hole, for almost three days now. Manic blew out a long stream of smoke. Then he lit a fresh roll-up from the end of the old one, and put the old one into his pouch. All of his cigarettes were made of so many dog-ends that the tar had been compacted into something that smelled like it could preserve dinosaurs.

He looked around at 'Team Let's Bust Out Of Prison'. "Well, we're all here, dudes and dudettes. Except we're _not_ all here. We are all here, because one of us is not..." Shadow was not only the kind of guy who was difficult to miss, but he was also the kind of guy whose absence of presence you missed. Kind of like Sonic, "And one of us is not here, because he's in the Hole. And he is in the Hole because our 'brilliant leader' figured that the only way to get the Shadow-man on the team was to offer him sex with a hot babe." he looked at Sonic, "Seriously, Sonic, did you really think Shadow would step into line just to get a fuck? That's what put him behind bars in the first place! Even you gotta know how damn pissed off he's gonna be!"

Manic wasn't really _angry_ at Sonic. But he couldn't help but feel... testy, he figured. His brother wasn't telling him the details, like he didn't trust him, or how he seemed to think it could be beaten out of him by spies. Manic knew he wasn't untrustworthy, and he wasn't helpless. Once again, Sonic was being blindly over-protective. He flicked some ash on the wall and glared at his blue twin.

Knuckles was sitting on another toilet, arms draped over his knees. This 'band' that Sonic had formed was extremely unorthodox within the Prison System in that it comprised of inmates of every position in the Pecking Order. He was one of the most feared men on the entire island, and yet he was sitting amongst punks like Tails and Silver. Manic and Nack had their own positions, but despite Manic's respected position as the Janitor, he was certainly not a dominant guy. Without Shadow there, the echidna was surrounded by fuck-fodder. He wasn't so sure where to place Sonic, though. The blue hedgehog certainly acted like he was the guy in charge. And he'd thoroughly defeated Knuckles in a fight in front of the whole population. But he wasn't a Jock, or a Mobber, or a God Squadder, or a Nerd, or part of any of the cliques. Like Shadow, he had managed to establish himself as something outside of the rank system. And Knuckles knew damn well that _he_ wouldn't have let Manic talk to him like that, even had they been brothers. _Especially_ if it were his brother.

"I don't feel _sorry_ for Shadow," Tails spoke up more quietly, "But when he's on the team, nobody else comes knocking to join it. He's smart _and_ crazy. That's a scary combination. And let's face it, Knuckles is tough but he can't be everywhere..." Ever since the kitsune had switched ownership from Knuckles to Sonic, he hadn't taken any beatings - well, nothing significant anyway - but he was still very quiet and polite. He glanced at the red echidna, "No offence..."

Knuckles gave him a grunt that gave no indication of his thoughts on the statement, but since he wasn't visibly angry, he probably agreed.

Meanwhile, Sonic was humming at a urinal, doing his business and only paying marginal attention, "These are all very interesting observations, kiddies," he told them, "But they're kind of obvious," Manic was stating the blindingly obvious just to annoy him. Tails was making the better point. The cobalt hedgehog finally zipped up his fly and turned back to the crew. Everybody was there. Except of course, his psychotic cellie, "So Shadow's in the Hole with some crazy Scourge guy who according to you guys, makes him look like a puppy. That fucks with my plan. It's my plan, and I don't like my plan being fucked with. Now I gotta make a plan to unfuck the first plan. Fortunately for you guys, this is something I did on the way here."

Silver looked at Sonic. He was a good guy – mostly – but the white hedgehog didn't like his arrogance. Pride cometh before a fall, "That was pretty fast," he told the blue hedgehog, "You sure it's a good plan?"

"It's my plan, isn't it?" Sonic asked, then grinned, "Listen, we all know going into the Hole is a real downer on your rep, huh? And when the screws are bastards enough to throw two people in at once, one of 'em is gonna get the arse end of the deal, if you know what I mean. Seems to me Shadow might need a little backup when he gets out."

"Hate to spoil ya mayonnaise, mate," Nack spoke in his thick Downunda accent, "But Shadow don't need backup. But more to the point, he don't _want_ it." The sniper was frowning. He certainly wanted out of the prison. But he felt as if he was only on the plan because Sonic had a soft spot for fish like Silver. He didn't like it. It made him feel worryingly replaceable.

"Yeah, I think we still remember how he blew up when he thought Silver was pitying him?" Manic nodded at Silver, "And if he's not on the team, I don't give a fuck what your plan is for getting over the ocean, Sonic," the green hedgehog continued, "Because without him, we won't even get to the beach. He knows this island better'n anybody."

Sonic looked at Manic. Brothers were brothers, but you didn't talk to the boss like that, especially when you were in their situation, and _especially_ not in front of the rest of the team, "Thanks, Captain Obvious. Now, how about thinking up a solution?"

"You're the one who said you had a plan to unfuck the first plan, Sonic," Manic was standing, "So quit smarming over your genius, and get it out already! Because I've had it up to _here_ with you asking us for the answers, then putting us down because you've already got one!"

For a moment, everybody thought Sonic was about to blow up. But the blue hedgehog was cooler than that. He stood up himself and looked at Knuckles, "Hey, Dreads," he spoke calmly, "I know I said you were in charge of keeping the team in line and laying out any good South Island Whoopin's they needed. But this is a family thing. You're fine with me dishing out some discipline on my mouthy little bro, right?"

Knuckles looked confused as he thought about what Sonic had said, before coming to his conclusion, "Sure, kick his ass."

Manic punched his hand into his palm, irritated, "Dammit, Sonic, what is your problem? Why are you always like this?! You're only twenty minutes older than me! But you're always treating me like I'm a fucking toddler!"

Because of the speed moderator on his ankle, it was easy to forget Sonic's swiftness. He gave his brother a fierce backhand to the face, and grabbed him by his shirt, "THEN STOP ACTING LIKE ONE!" he shouted, "Goddammit! What is _your_ problem, Manic?" he slammed his green brother into a wall roughly, "You wanna be in charge? Fine! But then you'll be the one to haf'ta think up a plan to get seven bastards to work together without killing each other, and get out of the highest security prison on the goddamn planet!" He gave his brother another sharp slap, letting him drop again, "No? Then quit running your mouth until we're outta this place, so's we can go back to partying and hitting on chicks and smoking pot like the good days!"

There was a silence while Manic snarled at his elder brother in frustration, and the team watched with interest. But the janitor had never been the leader type. He sat back down on the toilet seat, and dug into his pouch that was never-endingly filled with the dog-ends of his and other people's cigarettes, and started creating one of his dreadful roll-ups, "Don't know why you care so bad about weed, Sonic," he scowled, "You never could take it to the head…" Sonic glared again, and he fell silent. They didn't have the time for this. Somebody might need a shit at any moment.

Nack looked at him for a moment, "I got a twin sister. She is _exactly_ like that," he joked, trying to lighten the mood, and it was tough to tell whether he was talking about Sonic or Manic.

"Right," Sonic continued, "So if anybody else has the same illustrious advice to give as my brother, just hand it to me and I'll put it right in my suggestion box," he lifted the toilet seat briefly, "But before we go any further, I gotta know, do you guys wanna escape or not?"

There was a chorus of affirmative nods and grunts from around the room. Sonic would have preferred a cheer. He was starting to realise that Shadow was more important than just in terms of discipline and fear.

Shadow was one of the few people who could successfully fight Sonic. And he would point out any problems with Sonic's plan – whether they existed or not. His strength and skill matched Sonic's almost perfectly, and they could fight evenly. But the _important_ part was that he was such a complete asshole, everybody ended up rooting for Sonic anyway, even if he lost. But if somebody else contested Sonic and he asserted himself, his abilities were often so superior that he ended up looking like a bully.

"Right," the blue hedgehog continued, "Because we're gonna haf'ta make a few sacrifices when Shadow comes out. When you go in the Hole, you lose rep. We all know he's gonna want to build his rep back up right off the bat. A heavy-rep Shadow is a happy Shadow, ya dig? And we all know he's not gonna be in great shape to do it."

"So what're you saying?" Silver asked, "Shadow's gonna be beating people right up as soon as he gets out? But won't that just get him right back into trouble again?"

"Probably not," Tails said, "Since he'll be beating up cons. You know damn well Mephiles doesn't care what he does to us. Trouble is that he's been in the Hole for longer than usual this time. So he's gonna look even worse. If he's alive. Every time Mephiles puts him in, he hopes he won't come out alive…"

"My point exactly," Sonic agreed, "He's gonna need help. And he can't know he's getting help either, because then he'd totally lose it and ditch the group just to piss us all off, and I'd haf'ta take him out."

Silver's eyes widened. He was listening closely to every word of this, aware that it would probably be important to Vector later, "Take him out?" he asked, "Are you saying we'd have to _kill_ him?"

"Well, he's not saying we'll be taking him out for tea and biscuits, dumbass," Knuckles retorted.

"Your brain's as sharp as your quills, Preacher-Man!" Sonic nodded, "If Shadow quits the team – whether it's cus he's broken, or he just hates everybody-"

"Shadow _always_ hates everybody," Manic interrupted briefly.

"-he's a serious liability," Sonic ignored Manic, "He might narc on the plan just to spite us. We all know what happens to Narcs. I don't wanna risk it. And you know I love ya all equally, so the same'd go for any of you guys. Nothing personal; it's just Prison Etiquette. Now let's hear your complaints so's I can shit on them now." He patted his toilet.

"I got one," Tails spoke, "ARE YOU INSANE?!" he almost shouted at Sonic, "You talk like wasting Shadow is like switching on a light bulb! It's more impossible than connecting a DIN-DIN coaxial cable up to a standard European SCART socket!" he looked around at the confused faces of the team, "Which is pretty much impossible."

Manic shook his head at his brother's concerns, "For what it's worth bro, Shadow wouldn't snitch," he told Sonic, "Just trust me on that, huh? He doesn't snitch. He never snitches. No matter how much he hates you when he gets back, whether he's on the team or not, he'll _still_ hate Mephiles more."

Sonic crossed his arms and leant on the wall casually, nodding, "Point taken, Manic. But if you guys are right, he's gonna come out looking real fuckered up. And if I know Shadow like I think I do, that ain't gonna stop him from beating the shit out of people. And I bet he can too. Except this time he might not be so good at _taking_ it. We gotta protect him. Without him noticing."

Silver shook his head, "I've got a bad feeling about this," he pointed out.

"We gotta make sure his willpower doesn't run out before his stamina does," Tails told him, "It's never done before… but we've had some photo finishes…"

"Exactly. And nothing makes the Shadow-Man happier than beating people up," Sonic agreed, "This is where I figure _you_ can come in," he suddenly pointed at Nack.

"What? Me?" the purple weasel frowned and rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, Sonic, I dunno-"

"Hey, this is your big moment!" Sonic grinned, putting a friendly hand on Nack's shoulder as if trying to persuade him that he would enjoy taking a beating from Shadow, "It can't be Knux or me; he'd know straight away if we were holding back. And Tails, Silver and Manic… Well, they're not big enough to make an impact, y'know? But you? I think you might just have the smarts to pull this off."

Nack was silent for a moment, before narrowing his eyes, "Sonic, do I _look_ like your fucking Judas Goat?" he snapped, standing up, "How the hell am I supposed to enjoy my freedom when my cock's been shoved down my damn throat?"

Well, it wasn't exactly like Sonic could have expected him to _like_ the idea. He knew this was going to be tough, "Hey, you get to look big and bold in front of the best part of the prison for standing up to him, and he gets a major boost back into his ego."

"No, I just look like an idiot!" Nack snapped, "Sure, in his condition I might be able to fight him off when he gets out. But that's not what you want, is it? You wanna see me with my tail wrapped around my neck!"

"Listen up, Nack," Sonic spoke louder, "Everybody on this plan has a part to play. You've not got muscle so I need your smarts. I ain't gonna just let you get killed. You're on this team, remember? It gets too far, and me and Knux will go right in and drag you out. And he won't look weak because we're both doing it," he cracked his neck. The pressure was starting to get to him, "Never heard of the phrase 'Take one for the team'? It really is you who'll look best doing it. We do what we have to," he saw Nack getting ready to object some more, "And goddammit, you'll quit bitching up and do what you're told!"

He looked towards Knuckles, who was standing up, and so did Nack. He didn't particularly enjoy pushing people around like this, but Nack was not the kind of guy who would be happy to roll over and take a beating if he could run away from it instead.

"Huh… getting my hide peeled off by a Wingnut like Shadow, or getting my head caved in by the prison Fudge Packer… they're both so _enticing_," Nack growled. He was himself unconvinced that Sonic and Knuckles could actually stop Shadow – even a sorely weakened Shadow – from ripping him apart if he really wanted to. But he sat down anyway.

Sonic nodded. He couldn't blame Nack for not embracing that part of the plan right off the bat, "Right. Now that's sorted, we've got other important issues. Silver?" he looked at the white hedgehog, "What's the situation with your meds?"

"M-meds?" Silver looked startled at the sudden attention on him, "Well, Doctor Blossom medicates me once a day… I just pass through real quick right at noon and then head to the canteen… She's fast with it too."

"Yeah, we all _know_ that, Preacher-Man," Sonic threw at him, "I mean, how strong is that crap? How long do we gotta wait for you to be off it before you get to use that miraculous brain of yours for once?"

"Well, it's injected. To keep me from throwing it up," Silver showed Sonic a scab on the inside of his elbow. He knew by now that he damn well would be throwing it up if he could, "And… well, I don't know what's in it, but it's pretty strong stuff. It'd probably take me about three days before I could start again… a week before I'd be fully over it."

"That's okay," Sonic agreed, "I'll sort something out; you can count on me. We're gonna need those powers of yours just as much as any of ours, if we're gonna get out of here for good."

Silver smiled, "Yeah, I… I really wanna do something for the plan, Sonic. I swear it! It's just… I'm not used to being like this… I blew in that guy's head with telekinesis to stop him from raping schoolchildren but-"

"You know Silver, you sound kind of crazy whenever you say that," Tails pointed out. Silver glared at him, but the young kitsune just glared back – he might not have much say in his life on Prison Island, but he was pretty sure he had more than Silver.

"Don't you worry your quills about it, Preacher," Sonic turned to Tails, "Now, another super-important thing, Tails. Your tech. The cell-phone you need. It's stashed in the Infirmary right now."

"Cool," Tails nodded, "How do we get it out? The Doc doesn't like prisoners _that_ much…"

"Somebody goes in to get it," Sonic informed him, "Like you," he winced at Tails' expression, "Trust me, Deuce, this is killing me."

"You're gonna beat me up?" Tails winced.

"Just enough to get you sent there for a check-up," Sonic promised, "Then you get it out from under the mattress of the bunk on the right. It's me, or Knux, and I do my own dirty work, y'know. Unless you got a real problem with going, but… the Doc ain't too chirpy to see me right now, and Dreads might take a while for me to down him enough to be sent there. It'd be easier to get it straight into your hands rather than passing it around."

Tails hung his head in thought. Like anybody else – except perhaps Knuckles – he didn't like getting beaten up. But he could rely on Sonic to do it cleanly, "I get you, Sonic," he said finally, "And anyway, I've already got some ideas on what to do with it!" he cheered up at the idea of having something electronic to work on again, and held out a piece of paper with what looked like a drawing of a small city on it, although it was some kind of microchip. It made no more sense to Sonic than any form of astrophysics. But it certainly LOOKED clever.

Sonic grinned, and glanced back at Nack, "See? Deuce here can take one for the team!" He didn't get much of an answer, but he didn't wait for one, "Manic, big man," he grinned at his brother as if there hadn't just been a blow-up between them, "How're you doing with the locks?"

"Been testing 'em for days," Manic replied, grinning right back again, "All the ones on the way out I can pick in about three seconds – faster'n some of the screws with their keys. It's those goddamn electronic card-locks that give me the crap. I can't carry a Guard Robo around. But I've seen a few wardens what don't keep their hands on their wallets, you know what I mean?" Indeed, Manic was just as good at pick-pocketing as he was at picking locks.

"Right, that's it! I'm telling mom on you!" Sonic joked. He looked around, "Now me and Manic, we need to talk to my sister about a few last-minute details tomorrow and I'm gonna grab myself a call. But anybody else got any problems?"

"I still think this is bullshit, Sonic," Knuckles grumbled. He wasn't the planning type. He could punch past walls with his head, but he never thought about what to do once he was on the other side, "You're always acting you're the best thing since sliced bread. One of these days, you're gonna need help. And you better pray there's somebody good enough to help you."

"Is that a _threat_, Dreads?" Sonic asked.

"I dunno, Spiky. Do you _feel_ threatened?" Knuckles glared.

"It's called Hero's Folly," Sonic snapped at him, "It means I take care of all you guys, but I've got nobody to watch my back. I can deal with that. Can you?"

The two of them were about to face off, when Tails interjected hastily before Sonic and Knuckles could try to beat the living piss out of each other, "Okay, so, meeting's over! Books balanced, plans… planned. Right?"

"Right," Sonic took a calming breath. If he was going to fight with Knuckles, he knew that both he and the echidna would rather do it publicly where they could display their abilities, rather than in this dirty place, "Now when Shadow comes limping back, I'll give him the lowdown on what we talked about today. He can't find out we gave him a pity-scrap or he'll completely psyche out. But he'll hear what he needs to hear. So leave him to me. Any last-minute objections to that? Thought not."

Knuckles took his own way to the gym loudly and Nack slunk off to the library in the Recreation Hall. Tails stayed for his own protection, of course. And Silver remained, hoping to hear a little more information. He felt doubly guilty, and doubly afraid, knowing that he had to report all of this to Vector. But he had no real choice now; he was in too deep.

Manic tried to placate his brother as they walked down the main hall, "Bro, Knux is just doing his thing, mouthin' off. You got seven different crazies with seven different beefs. There's gonna be friction. You're doing a good job when ya just keep the seven of us in the same damn room!"

Sonic smirked over at his brother, and placed an arm around his shoulder as he walked off. "Thanks, Manic. Gettin' you outta here as well as me means the world and six chilidogs to me, Bro. I'm gonna get it done. I promise."

"Do ya really think you're on your own, Sonic?" Manic asked suddenly, "Seriously, just because you're faster and louder'n me, you think I haven't always got your back?" he kept his eyes on his brother, "I've kept your room-shitter from blockin' up three times in the last three days. I've got your back as much as you've got mine; you know that, right?"

Sonic realised he'd hurt his brother's feelings. He wasn't quite sure of what to say for a moment. He looked a little subdued for a moment, and sensing the awkward silence, Manic went on.

"Sonic, I'd take a bullet for ya, you _know_ that, right?" Manic persisted.

Before Sonic could answer, the four of them heard a familiar voice from behind; low, deadly and overflowing with terse exhaustion.

"_You..._"

The four turned as one, to see a dark hedgehog pointing an accusatory finger at Sonic.

Shadow was back.

* * *

Breech: Yup. You were worried about Shadow; I know it. Well, he's out of the hole. But Sonic's got a point… what kind of shape's the Black Blur going to be in? Find out… NEXT CHAPTEROONIE!


	4. Self-Assertion For Dummies

Prison Island Break: Season Two

By Breech Loader

* * *

Breech: Things are getting… well, a bit faster. Let's see how Shadow's looking, eh?

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Five: Self-Assertion For Dummies

"_You…_"

Sonic _knew_ nobody looked daisy-fresh when they got out of a Hole, whether they spent their time there cooling off in a corner or screaming at the voices in their head. And he'd been _told_ that Shadow was going to look bad when he got out.

The dark hedgehog _looked_ clean. That was his one good condition down pat.

But he was soaking wet from having been hosed down – the prison variant of a hasty wash, used whenever the screws wanted to get rid of dirty evidence in a hurry. And he had not been dried, so his prison uniform was drenched through on top of him. And that uniform was _not_ the one he had gone to the Hole with; it was too fresh. What could be seen of him was covered with fresh purple bruises, so heavy that they even showed through his black fur. And there were many rough cuts that had been torn into his quills and face, no longer bleeding but most assuredly painful. The cuff-scars on his wrists were deeper, like he had been struggling a lot with them. He didn't look as if he'd had any food or even sleep in the near to three days he had been gone. He locked his burning eyes with Sonic's as he walked towards him. No, not walking. _Limping_. The Walk of Shame, as it was called.

But somehow worse than that was that he was still trying to hide it. Standing tall and walking with the discipline and drive that he always moved with, his pride and dignity displayed for all to see. And then his body would sag for a second, his glare would drop, and he would _almost_ adopt a stance that more resembled Silver's perpetually ashamed and defeated attitude. Then he would grit his teeth, take a breath and draw himself up, and continue walking in that ominous way he had perfected, trying to cover up the pain.

So he looked even worse than Sonic had ever imagined.

This was highly unexpected; Sonic had assumed his cell-mate would be returned in the middle of the night, just to give him a few more hours in the Hole. But that was obviously not the case; Head Warden Mephiles had more than likely decided it'd be more beneficial – to himself, of course - to let Shadow out early, during recreational hours, for the population to witness what had been done to him. To strike fear into them. To control them. And humiliate Shadow. The blue hedgehog impulsively stepped in front of his brother, in case the crimson-eyed wounded monster before him decided to lash out. The situation was intense, and had to be handled delicately. The problem being, Sonic had no idea what to do, other than to stand strong.

"Hey!" Manic hissed from behind, mop in hand, "Hey bro, I don't need your-"

Sonic tried to ignore him, "Shadow-Man... You're alive!" he shouted with, oddly enough, relief. His first instinct was to help his comrade. But he knew better than to make Shadow look any weaker than he already was, "...on a scale of nine to eleven... How bad do you wanna shove my spines out through the back of my skull?" he asked, deciding to face Shadow's rage head-on rather than try to make light of it.

Shadow felt exhausted. His entire body felt like he had been beaten with a wet sack of sand, and it begged for him to simply drop down right there. He resisted the urge. That was exactly what Mephiles wanted; for him to look weak. He might be two steps away from collapsing, but as long as he remained there, it wouldn't actually happen, "You promised me a fuck with a beautiful woman, Sonic," Shadow was nose-to-nose with Sonic, his expression vicious, "And a fuck with a beautiful woman I will have, even if needs must that I turn your genitals inside-out..."

Sonic held his ground, showing no fear to Shadow, but being careful to show no sympathy as well. This meant he could only stand completely stoic, without care. At this close range, he could also detect the unpleasant stench of a truck-stop toilet hovering over his struggling cellie.

Still, there was undoubtedly something different about the way he stared back into Shadow's eyes; something Shadow had never seen before. It was something akin to self-blame. Guilt. And utmost respect. "What did that Snerdly bozo do that made you wanna crack his dome open on the same day as the conjugal? He wanted to hurt Doctor Blossom somehow, didn't he? And you protected her…"

"So, she told you," Shadow scowled at the thought of Amy trusting Sonic enough to tell him that, "Snivelly got lucky. This time she found the sedatives before I could rip out his lungs. _This_ time..." He leaned back a little. He had a long day of rapid sadistic violence ahead of him, to carry out on anybody who challenged him. He didn't have the strength to waste on trying to beat the shit out of Sonic, "I will _kill_ anybody who hurts her, Sonic. She must not grow accustomed to pain, as I have."

"I agree. Nobody should," Sonic told him straight-forwardly, emeralds locked with rubies, "And the only man I've met who's strong enough to take it is you," this was a delicate dilemma. Shadow's danger levels were normally top of the line anyway. But on this day, he was wounded. And like a cornered beast, that alone made him even more deadly than usual. "You did the right thing, Shads. You picked the hard right over the easy wrong. You saw an injustice and fought to fix it. You saw someone in peril, and you jumped right in to save her. Even when it was a danger to your own life!"

"No!" Shadow snapped, "I did it because she's MINE! Nobody else's! Nobody else can have her! Especially not dirty little worms like Snivelly!"

"Sure, sure," Sonic told him ingratiatingly. More than ever he knew that Shadow would rip him apart for being competition for Amy. But he continued, "But you and I both know, none of this was my fault. I had every intention of keepin' my word; Mina was here. And she even asked for you. It was The Man who fucked it up. You know that. So I'm askin' you to let me not fuck with you until you heal up. Let yourself recover, okay?"

"I… can fuck you over just as hard as I could last week, _Streak_," Shadow snarled. It was a blatant lie; he could barely even stand.

"Sure, sure," Sonic repeated, "It's just that the level of respect I have for you would make that just as painful as the damage you'll inflict on me for tryin'…"

"I'll do whatever I need to do, to maintain my position as the most feared convict in this accursed pit conceived by Stalin and run by Hitler himself," Shadow continued, and his voice rose slightly, "I don't give a damn whether I win or lose, I will NOT BE BROKEN!" he scanned his gaze over Manic, Tails and then Silver, "I may not be in a condition to fill the vacuous space between the blue _Prick's_ ears with his own testicles, but I can assure you that I can take most anybody else down." This was one of the few times he was admitting that Sonic could beat him. He drew himself up, "I will start by reclaiming my personal right to control that television remote. Lord knows what empty-headed bullshit you idiots have been watching while I was away." He turned away sharply, "You are welcome to observe my superiority."

Sonic stayed behind, watching Shadow limp down the hall in so much pain. The way the striped hedgehog held himself even now with such pride and determination, no matter how twisted, was nothing less than inspiring. By the time Shadow was almost out of sight, Sonic found himself smirking, strangely proud, "That's my cellie there..."

"You didn't have to _protect_ me, Sonic," Manic sounded pissed, "Geez, it's _you_ Shadow's mad at. You're making me look like a pussy…"

Sonic paused, "What, I'm supposed to just stand aside and let him pound on you?" he asked Manic.

"Has it ever occurred to you, Sonic, that I am in fact capable of holding my own in a fight?" Manic asked, "Has it ever occurred to you that I too can throw a punch? Has it ever occurred to you that I _didn't_ get this job as a janitor by bending over a desk and getting myself fucked inside-out?"

"You're my little brother! And I'm supposed to protect you!" Sonic shouted suddenly.

"Yeah? Well you're my big brother, and I'm supposed to be proud of you!" Manic retorted, "You didn't come in here to break me out! You wouldn't even be in here if you hadn't gotten caught in the first place, huh?"

"I don't wanna have to put you in your place like this, Manic," Sonic gritted his pulling back his fist, "But in here, I gotta-"

"Oh no, I am not taking this shit again!" Manic slammed Sonic a punch in the jaw that knocked him into a wall. Then he stepped forward, speaking low and fast, "Sonic, I don't mind you being in charge of the team! I don't mind letting you be the big man for easy! Hell, I'll even put up with your plans being too amazing for me to know, because I know you! But I am not your fucking lackey, and I am not a baby! I. Am. Your. _Brother!_ Got that?"

The two of them glared daggers at each other for almost a minute, but this time Sonic held back his temper. He was cooler than this. And Manic had a point, even though he hated to admit it. He'd been surrounded by adoring fans for so long… that sometimes it got hard to treat people as equals.

"Brothers," he replied simply. The two of them clenched fists and grinned.

"But yeah," Manic relaxed a little, "Shadow asserting himself… you're gonna want to see this, Sonic," he paused and turned a little, "And you too, Silver." He nodded at them as he turned, still carrying his mop as he went in the direction of the ebony hedgehog.

* * *

Sonic had to agree that he was curious to see how Shadow would handle this. Besides, he kind of had a responsibility to keep an eye on the psychopath. But this time it was important that he stay in the background, and watch. Together, he, Manic, Silver and Tails all headed for the Recreation Area.

Obviously Shadow had entered the recreation hall first, and allowed the others to adjust to his presence for a few seconds. Quite a number of convicts looked up. They could all see the condition he was in. Many could guess what had just happened. There was no point pretending otherwise. But what was _important_ was that he maintained that even in this condition he had power and control. He wanted to collapse, but if he did so, he'd be gang-raped until spending time with Scourge looked like an episode of Teletubbies. Mephiles had really outdone himself this time. If Shadow had spent another day with Scourge, he'd have needed to recuperate in the Infirmary, where he'd be safe... and calm… and close to Amy… Another few hours and he could have at least crashed out in his cell and gotten some overnight rest before he had to get to asserting himself. But as it was, he had to expend valuable energy on standing. He wasn't sure he'd make it through the day, but he refused to give up.

Silver watched on. Trying his very best to uphold his Catholic values and not feel spiteful toward Shadow. Not feel relieved, invigorated, that he'd been beaten so savagely. And obviously raped, which he had tried having inflicted upon Silver. But somehow, his own humanity had him feeling sorry for the black and red hedgehog. No matter how sinful he was. After all, Shadow had given everything to protect Doctor Amy, who had been so kind to him. There _had_ to be good in him, however suppressed it was.

Shadow walked straight to the couch. He had to act as if nothing that had happened had affected him. There was porn playing on the television again, and right now it made him shudder mentally. He snatched the remote from a human convict, "_That_ is my property," he snapped, "And you'll get out of my seat, too." He threw the convict out of his seat, and turned to look at the television, "And this is disgusting. I spend _three days away_ and you all go straight back to watching this mindless, hormone-driven filth?" He started flicking through channels, arriving at a documentary on corrupt politicians.

"We agreed-" the human started.

Shadow rose again sharply, even though his legs were trembling from standing and his ass hurt just by sitting down, "Did _I_ agree?" he snarled. He was on thin ice, he knew, but he wasn't going to turn back now. He hadn't reached his high position in the prison ranks by treading on weak rungs. He couldn't help but wonder if other convicts could see him sweating from the exertion right now.

"You ain't got the balls-"

Shadow gave a shout of rage, and swung the human overarm onto the pool table, picking up the cue-ball and... what happened next was a blur. And then the human was screaming with his pants around his ankles and a pool ball shoved right up his ass. Shadow threw him off the table, and picked up the 8-ball and a cue, panting slightly.

"There are 21 more balls on this table! Anybody with a challenge, step forward NOW!" he screamed, trying not to show that he was leaning on the cue as he tossed a ball up and down in the air, catching it each time and scanning the room. He could _do_ this. He just couldn't waste time with showboating.

A few of the larger inmates were looking pretty damn brave, considering Shadow's condition. Bark and Storm were two of them. Even Queen Bean seemed to stare with eyes of mockery. Thankfully, before any of them could step forward, Nack the Weasel got in character, stepping up behind him, "'Ey, them's not the rules to the game, Mate. Ain't your mummy ever told you to play nice?" he asked, a single fang protruding from his cunning smirk.

Sonic was in the background, watching. When Nack looked back at him for a second, there was a thumbs-up on display, but it was gone before anyone, especially Shadow, could catch wind of it.

_Damn, why can't they just fall in line like normal gutless punks,_ Shadow shook his head and looked up again, "Who said that?! Was it you?" he pointed right at a squirrel, who shook his head frantically, "Or you?" he asked a human, who cringed, "No, wait, it was you!" he pointed at Nack, "You little purple rat!" He dropped both cue and ball, and swooped in. Then he produced a shiv, speaking loud, "True! I was fully restrained and thrown in a dark pit with A CHILD MOLESTER!" the volume of his voice increased, "TRUE! I CAME SECOND PLACE! BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?!" the blade came up to Nack's throat, and his voice was a scream, "NOW I AM BACK HERE! AND SCOURGE IS STILL IN HOLE NUMBER THREE! AND YOU WILL NEVER BE IN HOLE NUMBER THREE! BECAUSE YOU ARE A BROWN-NOSING LITTLE PUNK! SO, WHO ARE YOU MORE AFRAID OF?!" The shiv was now hovering at Nack's eyeball.

Manic leant over to Sonic, "And that's why Shadow doesn't usually need any help to reassert himself," he muttered to his brother.

"Nack can handle this," Sonic responded, watching the scene with crossed arms. Scanning it, in case it didn't go ahead as planned, "I didn't draw his name out of a hat. He's gonna keep cool."

"You better hope so," Manic replied softly.

Nack was indeed keeping cool, on the outside. Inside he was sweating. The goal here was to deviate any other inmates from taking advantage of Shadow's immediate condition, while also not fighting him, or getting himself shanked, "Mate, ain't no need for that shit!" he yelped. Fortunately for him, the ebony hedgehog was so deteriorated that Nack probably could overwhelm him just by outlasting him. Unfortunately, that wasn't the plan. And hell, Shadow's methods had never been about stamina; just about stabbing people with sharp objects. In a way, he was even more terrifying now that Sonic had insisted his weakness not be revealed, "Just hand over the remote, and we can watch the telly together then."

"Watch the box with you?! Oh no! You can side with me, or you can side with THE GODDAMN BACONATOR!" Shadow couldn't keep up a prolonged fight. He was operating on willpower - the same willpower Sonic had witnessed him return with. Since he couldn't beat Nack down physically, part of the team or not, he'd take the weasel out right now if he had to. To hell with Sonic's friendly little club. He threw Nack to the floor, knelt on his back, and raised his shiv, getting ready to nail his paw to the floor, all at high speed. The weasel wouldn't be much good as a sniper if that happened, "IT IS BECAUSE WE ARE VERY GOOD FRIENDS THAT I INFORM YOU THIS WAS YOUR WARNING!" he shrieked.

Nack managed to catch Shadow's wrist on the way down. Despite how Shadow's body was clearly exhausted physically, the hedgehog would drive on with crazed willpower – which would mean he would destroy himself. He was still strong, but lacked stamina, and if they actually fought, it would only display just how badly Shadow really was hurt. He managed to struggle out from under the hedgehog, "I figure the only warning we're gonna be getting is X-Rated, buddy!" He had managed to grab the remote off Shadow.

"I'm not your buddy, punk!" Shadow yelled, still moving forward and two steps from passing out right there. He slammed Nack against the wall, "I'M GONNA NAIL YOUR BALLS TO TWO DIFFERENT WALLS!"

"Okay! Okay!" Nack started cowering. It wasn't entirely staged, "You got it! You got it, boss!" He held out the remote, "We watch it! We watch whatever you want!"

Shadow punched him in the face. It didn't actually hurt that much, and to actually do so was forcing out more energy that he didn't have. But Nack cowered some more anyway as he ripped the remote out of the weasel's hands.

"Today may not be a good day for me to rip you in half, Nack," he hissed more softly, looking down at the weasel, "But tomorrow you're going to regret talking back..." He straightened up, and kicked Nack backwards. He was only capable of attacking because the weasel was not fighting back; at least there was solace in that thought, although it also made the paranoid lunatic's suspicions rise, "We watch..." he took a deep breath, "What _I_ agree to." He turned back to the television and returned the channel to one with les-porn.

Sonic nodded slightly. It was a marvellous display. Nack had played his role according to plan almost perfectly. He had stood up to Shadow without getting shanked to death, nor forcing Sonic to move in and stop Shadow which would risk exposing his current vulnerability. And the dark hedgehog had as a result displayed that he was still capable of inspiring terror and inflicting pain even when in the most appalling of conditions.

As soon as Shadow wasn't looking at him, Nack threw another look at Sonic, one saying 'you better not let me get killed tomorrow'. The weasel didn't like the idea of Shadow carrying out any further threats, nor did he relish the idea of looking weak in front of the other convicts. Despite what Sonic said, standing up to Shadow wasn't worth much if you lost anyway, and all things considered, he had lost. He just wasn't bleeding at the same time as losing.

Shadow dropped the remote in the lap of some random punk sitting in front of the couch. Then he pulled himself up, straight and dignified. He didn't want to watch porn; not today. But that wasn't the point. Anyway, he could feel the eyes of all of them upon him as he turned to leave the room. About halfway out, he stopped and turned sharply, grabbing Silver by the neck and slamming him against a wall, "And who the hell do you think you're eyeballing, Preacher?!" he snarled.

"What? I'm not- urk-!" What just happened? One moment Silver was a safe distance away, watching Nack about to be brutalized by Shadow, and now all of a sudden, once the scene was over, he was being choked against a wall?! But he couldn't get the words out as his feet frantically scrabbled several inches above the floor.

Shadow was already sliding another shiv out of his prison slacks and glaring cut ruby venomously at Silver's amber eyes. And as usual, full of rage at a world that he perceived to have done him a million wrongs. Only the white hedgehog could see his face. Hard and brutal and bruised and cut and, frankly, exhausted, but determined all the same. So only he saw the change from venomous anger into... recognition? The grip didn't shift one inch. But his eyes changed.

Shadow kept looking at Silver. Completely helpless and terrified. Exactly how he had been a few hours ago in Scourge's presence, _Damn, what the hell am I thinking..._

Silver took hold of Shadow's wrist with both his hands, still unable to breathe. Would this be the day? The day he'd been fearing? Shadow was in a state of absolute wreckage; he was mentally and emotionally unstable as it was, so in his current position, he was more unpredictable than ever. Silver felt the fear engulf him again.

Shadow lowered Silver, "You pry, and poke, and insult all around you by your very demeanour. I should give you the thrashing of a lifetime," he spoke harshly even as the white hedgehog's feet touched the ground again, "But I see now it would be a waste of a good shanking. You can't help it; it's in your nature. It would be like kicking a dog for licking its own balls." He let go of Silver's neck slowly.

Silver immediately fell to his knees upon being let go, coughing frantically, "Th-thanks… sir…"

That was when Shadow felt a hand on his shoulder. And he instantly knew who it was this time, through the simple fact that only one person in this prison was dumb enough to act like they were his friend.

"C'mon, Shadow. We need to talk," he heard Sonic say. 'Talk' was probably not the right word. Shadow more than likely wanted the blue hedgehog's blood on the outside of his body, "Let's have ourselves a tea party or somethin'."

"We spend enough time together after lights out, _Shit_ _Streak_," Shadow snarled, pulling himself away from Sonic, "I have business today... And keep your damn hands off me!" He yanked himself away from Sonic and strode down the hall, headed to the outdoors recreational area. All he wanted was to sit down in the open air and remind himself that he was no longer in a box.

Manic looked at Silver, then watched Shadow go, "Woah," he informed the two hedgehogs and the fox.

Sonic shook his head, hands in his pockets as he watched Shadow limp away with dignity. "I'll see you tonight then, Sugar-Hog!" he yelled after him, in reference to an old friend. Manic, Silver and Tails were right beside him. "He'll be all right, boys. Plan's in motion! We're goin' home."

"Scourge sure… sure did a number on him, huh?" Silver gagged, rubbing his neck, "Geez, what did he do to that psychopath's head?"

"Nuh-uh man, last time I seen 'im come out from Hole Number Three, Shadow would'a crushed a guy's neck like a twig, just to show he still could," Manic corrected him, "Real question is, what've _you_ done to that psychopath's head?"

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Breech: How's it doing? Poor Shadow, he looks like shit. What to say to you? I'm going to tell you to review, of course. And also, that ShadAmy fans are just gonna _gobble up_ the next chapter.


	5. Check-Up

Prison Island Break: Season Two

Co-Written by Breech Loader and SonicFrank

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Breech: I'm sick of thinking of Amy in that dress. From now on, imagine her in her Sonic Riders outfit. With a doctor's coat over the top, natch.

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Chapter Fifty-Six: Check-Up

In the Infirmary, it was the arse-end of a long and painful day. Not painful in the sense of being beaten up, but painful in the sense that for Shadow it was currently painful to walk, and sit, and breathe. Ironically, after his time in The Hole, the check-up for that had come at the end of the day, just to make sure that he'd have to spend all day being… well, tough. Which had exhausted his strength even further.

His entire body still felt – and looked - as if it'd had a sack of doorknobs liberally applied to it. He didn't even have the strength to take advantage of not being cuffed and rape Doctor Blossom until her ovaries fell out. And with all of his cuts and bruises, he couldn't even enjoy her touch because he ached so much. The best he could do right now was pretend to not be aching while she moved her hands over his back and between his quills. With the top half of his body bared for her, the great magnitude of his injuries from his time with Scourge could be better witnessed.

He watched Amy coming into the room. She wasn't wearing that cute little dress today. She was wearing something that looked like a pink and white sports outfit, with training shoes. Neither was she wearing her bracelets, but a different kind of gloves instead – although obviously she was wearing her lab-coat on top of those clothes. This different outfit drastically reduced any chances for seeing up her skirt to something like zero, because she was now wearing jogging trousers. She still looked beautiful though…

"Ahem… Shadow," Amy spoke a little louder this time, regaining his attention from studying her body. She was holding her government-issued camera; ironically the one Mephiles had used to humiliate her so badly. "With your consent, I'd like to document the extent of your injuries," Shadow wasn't the only one who wasn't quite himself. The doctor was disturbed at the condition of her patient. Shadow was in terrible condition. He'd been severely, unjustly, and savagely abused. And all because he tried to defend her, "It'll only take a moment…" she reassured him weakly, with a quivering lip.

Shadow growled softly, refusing to consent just yet. He had far more important things on his mind, "Did _he_ come back?" he asked her shortly.

"Huh?"

"Snivelly. Did that wretched, scum-sucking little worm come back?" Shadow hissed, looking up at Amy. His red eyes bored into hers of green as his hands opened and closed in agitation, "_Did he?_"

The doctor visibly paused. Even now, after all he'd suffered through, Shadow's main concern was her. Her sympathy for him grew – though her caution was not any lower, "No," she replied, setting the camera up so the lens extended. "He didn't." Amy was trying very hard to put up a compassionate, professional front before her patient. But even the most infrequent of visitors could tell she was struggling with her emotions.

"Hmmph," it was Shadow's favourite word. He studied her eyes, checking that she spoke the truth, "Good. Then I won't have to kill him."

"May I start with the cuts on your head?" she asked, referring back to her request for his consent and drawing the conversation away from violence.

Shadow inclined his head in the smallest of nods, consenting to the photographs, aware that they would remain here. He struggled to regain his usual leering demeanour, regardless of how tiring it was, "Do you still believe there's good in all people, Doctor? That deep inside every hard shell there is a soft, nougat centre?" his hands clenched, "I almost hope you do. I'd hate for that stupid, selfish little slimeball to be the one to persuade you otherwise..."

Amy was able to maintain her impersonal disposition by focusing on the camera and taking her notes. She made sure the flash was off, just to avoid irritating her patient any more than he already was. "How could you ask me something like that, Shadow?" she asked, making sure her attention was on the details she was writing, and not on him. "You proved me right that day. By protecting me. Regardless of your motivations," She took another photo, this time of his face. "Will you extend your arm, please? As much as you can without pain…"

Shadow's arm ached without moving at all. But he extended it all the way out, trying to keep his expression perfectly neutral. Trying to hide any pain, although there was a flicker of it betrayed in his eyes, "My motivations, hmmm?" he moved like a cobra, and gripped Amy's upper arm as she was writing. He leered, trailing a finger down her cheek and then to her neck, "And just how would you know what those are, dear Doctor?" Exerting any kind of strength even over her was exhausting for him, but he wanted to touch her so _badly_…

Amy gasped when he grabbed her. And immediately she blamed herself. It was her own fault for letting her emotions get the best of her; making her complacent. Although he had saved her from blackmail by Snivelly, he was still a top nominee for 'most dangerous inmate on the island', and he was trying to move his hand down to her chest. Fortunately, he lacked the strength to hold on to her, and she was able to step back and break his grip. "I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from making any more physical contact with me, Shadow. Doing so could result in... Repercussions," the words pained her to say. Reprimanding Shadow in his current condition, after all the unfair punishment he'd endured, seemed almost cruel. But it was necessary.

Shadow sagged again. Only Amy could inflict upon him the expression of a kicked puppy. But then he scowled again, "You're _mine_. I won't let you be hurt by anybody but _me_."

Amy shook her head, "Shadow, my employment here entitles _you_ to _my_ protection, not the other way around. I could have handled the Head of Security on my own. All of this," her eyes gestured his wounds, "Was uncalled for. And unnecessary. Please, if a similar situation ever arises while you're in my custody, don't get involved…"

"That's you all over," Shadow spoke grimly, almost as if he disapproved, "Snivelly would have you bent face-first over your desk right now but you're still so... good... that you'd rather suffer yourself, than see me in pain. I didn't know you cared so much..." he smirked, "Threaten me all you like, Doctor. I'd do it a second time. And a third," he turned to get another look at her, trying to hide his fatigue, "You're so adorable when you don't take me seriously."

Amy was photographing and documenting all the cuts, bruises and lumps on his arms when she cut herself off by looking up into his eyes, so he could see how distraught she was. How devastated. How much it hurt her to see him this way, and how powerless she felt to do anything about it. Sure, she could bandage him, induce him with medication to take the pain away, and get him back to perfect physical health. But could she prevent something like this from happening again? Was it even within her reach to bring the issue up to a higher authority? And would it change anything even if she did? Absolutely not, "I don't condone what you did Shadow, but you saw an injustice taking place. You protected somebody that you felt needed protecting. You did what you felt was right. And you're a good person for it. You... don't have my blessing. But you do have my thanks... I'll be right back." She pretended to step into her office in order to check some files. What she really needed was a moment to wipe the tears away.

In her hurry to do so, she forgot that she'd left the camera right next to Shadow.

"Hmmph..." He didn't like seeing Amy crying. Even if it was in sympathy over him. Thoughtfully, he picked up the camera and started turning it over in his hands. He was wondering what the injuries on his back looked like. Some of them were from Scourge's quills raking into him. The last thing he wanted right now was for Amy to see what had happened lower down though. Out of boredom he started to flick through the photographs.

Amy didn't close her door, but she did step inside far enough that her patient couldn't see her from where he sat. The doctor needed a breather; the pain in her heart made her lungs feel compressed. This was much worse than Shadow was letting on. His condition was severe. He'd been more than just beaten. She was certain that Shadow Robotnik had been repeatedly raped. Working in an environment like this, she could spot a rape victim just by the way he limped. The inmates called it the 'Walk Of Shame'. But she knew that asking about it would only put him on the defensive, and legally she wasn't supposed to ask him about it unless he brought it up himself. Her hands trembled upon the desk she was leaning on. She needed to know more, and gathered her thoughts.

The black and red hedgehog lacked the inhibitions to stop when he had finished looking over his own photographs. He kept going through those of other patients. Then he hesitated when he started reaching the photographs of Amy. And her blatantly strained and forced smile. A low growl escaped his throat, and he almost stopped. But he kept going in a kind of morbid, horrified fascination. Because she was stripping for the photographer. And crying. His hands began to shake.

Amy kept a small makeup kit handy at all times, and she used a small mirror to look herself over. "Pull yourself together, Girl," she spoke to herself in a low whisper, so that Shadow wouldn't hear her. She made a small 'touch up' to hide her tears. And then began to prioritize. She needed to know about the conjugal. About what he'd done to earn it. And how Sonic was involved. Her expression hardened when she thought of the blue hedgehog, shutting the mirror closed much harder than required. She needed to know, because her suspicion of it having to do with possibly hurting the girl, Mina Mongoose, was something she couldn't legally ignore. She was also infuriated at Sonic, and at herself. All the yelling they had done was unnecessary. If he hadn't fucked another girl, he should have just shown Amy the unused condom in the first place; he didn't need to make her feel stupid in the process. She took a deep breath, and tried to ground herself. It was working. A little, "Shadow? I have a few questions for you. I'll be out in just one moment. Let me know if there's any sudden pain I might be able to help you with."

Shadow wasn't listening. He was still flicking through the 200 or so photographs. Searching for just one where Amy's abuser was stupid enough to show their face. He had to focus, to keep himself from crushing the camera in one hand. He would never have... well, he might have, but not with a camera! The best camera was the one in the head and anyway, Amy wasn't _meat_, if you were going to... then... But the rage was building up and up, and he couldn't hold it in forever.

He let out a scream; a hatred-infused noise of rage and despair.

Amy dropped her mirror, and it broke before she ran out of her office. "Shadow?!" she yelled, afraid he had fallen or perhaps been otherwise hurt somehow. She gasped, hands over her mouth, when the horror of what Shadow was seeing had become clear. Humiliation, self-disgust and outright terror infused her stomach all at once, and she all but yanked the camera away from him. "That's prison property; you aren't supposed to- Oh my God...!" She felt sick.

"WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!" Shadow stood and whipped around to face Amy, "WHO?!" His entire body was shaking, "Who took those photographs?! I am the Ultimate Lifeform! I ORDER you to tell me!" He grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her, although fortunately for her, he had nothing like his normal strength.

"Shadow, calm down!" she yelled at him, though she was close to being hysterical herself. Shadow had never seen her this way and there had never, ever been so much emotion in this room. She broke his grip with her own hands, firmly but not forcefully, and quickly walked away from him with the camera in hand. She felt like she was about to hurl. She'd managed to deal with what Mephiles had done to her, to sort of come to terms with it. She was getting better at pretending it had never happened. But after this, she felt violated all over again. And to make matters worse, the documentation of Shadow's injuries was still far from finished. She took a deep breath, "Control yourself."

Ironically it was how Shadow had long wanted to see Amy. And now that he had seen her, it had stirred up his lust and yet sickened him at the same time, "TELL ME WHO TOOK THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS!" he shrieked, "I WILL KILL THAT MONSTER AND EAT THEIR BLACK HEART!" He was vaguely aware that this wasn't likely to increase his chances of getting a name but he couldn't stop himself, "I... they..." he huffed a few times, "LOOK AT ME!" he tried to make it a snarl, but at the same time it came out more like a childlike wail.

Amy was walking away, but had to stop short, and look down at her boots. Her knees were shaking. "Shadow. Listen to me," she started, her voice shaking more than ever. Almost cracking. "What you saw... The things you saw me doing in those photographs..." Her eyes clenched, because her entire body had become rigid with tension. "I did it all willingly." In a way it was the truth. But in a more accurate way, it was a lie, "It wasn't for you to see. And it also happens to be none of your business," it stung even for her to say it. Because she knew how dementedly this particular patient cared for her. And how the images he had seen, and the things he was saying, could destroy him inside. "I'm going to-" she choked, and had to catch her breath. She was considering having him sent to Doctor Quack's infirmary, but she'd have to explain why. Telling anyone of authority that Shadow has been misbehaving would only result in more unfair treatment towards him. And she also knew he wouldn't receive the type of care that he needed. "You're fine; I'm going to send you back to your cell and I'll document the rest of your wounds in the morning…" She stepped into her office, and picked up her phone. The door shut behind her, just to be safe.

"No! NO, YOU WILL NOT JUST-" Shadow could almost feel mist rising up behind his eyes. Amy being assaulted by somebody _who wasn't him_. Somebody who didn't have her best interests at heart. Screaming wasn't enough to release his plethora of emotions, and neither was crying, and neither was breaking things. So perhaps as a result, something inside his head overloaded from the stress, and he collapsed right there, crashing to the ground, his body seizing and unseizing.

The noise was tremendous.

* * *

Amy hadn't slept all night. Her emotions were drenched in unwanted adrenaline. She'd cried a lot. If her earlier argument with Sonic, unhappiness over Shadow Robotnik's condition, and utmost humiliation at what the dark hedgehog had seen weren't enough, her patient had then had a stress-induced seizure. All she had been able to do was keep him from badly hurting himself until it had ended. Then, with the assistance of a guard she had managed to load his dead weight into a bunk. At least he had entered a natural sleep now. But she was still sitting in her office, head in her hands.

In the Infirmary, Shadow was sleeping naturally. Or at least, what passed for him as sleeping naturally, because even now he couldn't stop twitching and muttering. With a gasp, the ebony hedgehog sat up with a cry - more of shock than anything else, "Maria-" he stopped, looking around, "Maria..?" His head felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton wool. He started to get out of the bunk, and his legs folded up under him, sending him crashing to the floor again. He groaned to himself and tried to stand again, his legs shaking.

Doctor Rose snapped out of her trance, slowly getting up and heading to her office doorway. Shadow was off his bunk, and had obviously fallen. "Shadow?" she asked, all the emotion and energy drained from her voice. "Are you okay..?" she asked, in a tone that was so very much unlike her.

"I... am fine..." Shadow started to stand by himself to prove it, "The Infirmary... Why am I still here, Doctor?" Amy was hoping he might have forgotten what he had seen, "Shouldn't I be in my nice, cosy cell where I won't cause any damage to anybody _important?_" He could feel his legs trembling still, despite what he was telling Amy.

"You should sit, Shadow," she told him, turning back into her office to fetch her notes. When she came out again, she also held the camera in her hands. "I kept you overnight for observation. You had a seizure last night. Your first in decades, according to your medical records." She was being bland. And Shadow could see how exhausted she was.

Shadow gave this some thought, "That would be some forty years ago," he sat, his thoughts rewinding to try and pinpoint the moment. It was something of a blur, "You sound tired. Perhaps you should lie down yourself?" He was looking at the camera very hard and suspiciously. But an impulsive leer crossed his face just the same.

Amy sighed, "I've been doing a lot of thinking Shadow, and although this isn't quite professional, I want you to know that I'm sorry," she told him, stepping towards the bunk closest to him. She was still keeping a safe distance from him, though, "I'm sorry for leaving this camera behind, and unintentionally allowing you to see those pictures. And I'm sorry that your image of me may have been tainted. I can only hope that your confidence in me as your assigned doctor won't be affected by those images." There were shadows under her eyes. "You're welcome to report me to my superiors if you feel in any way offended by your contact with such images. But I won't be discussing them with you any more."

"Pictures..." Shadow muttered. Then it came back in a flash, "Those pictures!" He gritted his teeth, and for a moment Amy was afraid he might start convulsing again. His nails dug into the bunk. Then he looked up again, "Doctor... step closer," he told her, beckoning her with a finger.

"You aren't restrained," Amy told him, shaking her head. "I can't do that. And it isn't ethical of you to tell me to do so," Shadow snorted a detrimental noise at that statement, "Shadow, I'd really like to finish documenting your injuries. But I'm afraid I cannot do so without your consent, and your cooperation." She sighed, and rubbed her eyes. She couldn't begin to imagine what Shadow must have thought of her. What a _whore_ she must look like to him.

"Well, you'll have to get closer if you want to document my injuries," Shadow scowled, "You really don't get it, do you?" he grunted and lay on the bunk, hiding his face obstinately, "Don't tell me that you did that of your own free will. I've lost count of how many women I've raped. Something like… over 3000? But who the hell cares? I _think_ I know sexual violation when I see it," he took a breath, "Know this; there is nothing in this nor any other world that could lower my opinion of you. I only want to know why it happened. And then... I am certain that reason would be something that could only _raise_ my opinion of you." He thought for a moment, "Fuck that. I'm so certain, I don't _need_ to know why."

After a long moment, Amy cleared her throat. "It was willing. Now let's see how those cuts are healing up," Amy did indeed have to get closer, but only enough to take clear pictures with the camera. Which thanks to Mephiles, she knew how to zoom. "You seem to be feeling better. Since you and Sonic are getting along so well nowadays, I can hopefully expect you to not get into any fights with him. Or anyone else," she told him, effectively changing the subject, as well as tactfully prying into the three-way conjugal topic.

"_Willing_. HA! And I'm the prettiest girl at the Harvest Moon Ball," Shadow sneered. He gave Amy's statement some thought, "And friends with the Blue Blockhead? If I was in the cell now, he'd be taking the opportunity to point out... _everything_. I bet he's been saving it up all day. If he's fine with mouthing off when I can deck him with ease, what's going to stop him after... After. And why would anybody consider me a friend anyway? A desperate cry for help, an inventive suicide technique, a way to rebel against their parents, maybe..." he still didn't show his face, "But a friend? And I never even got that fuck..."

Amy rolled her eyes. But if she didn't like the way Shadow talked about people, she had nobody but herself to blame for hearing it; she was the one who pried. Imagining Sonic fucking another girl was bad enough. But somehow... so was imagining Shadow doing it. _Because he's a mentally diseased, womanizing rapist,_ she thought to herself, convincingly. "Who is she, anyway? She must have quite a fetish," she kept up the chit-chat as a distraction, jotting down notes about the various injuries she could see on his upper body.

"Some singer whore with a fetish for real rapists, and threesomes, but not enough of a fetish that she'd allow me to get at her alone," Shadow shifted. He didn't want Amy to see his lower body. She'd see the abuse his back-hole had taken, "A Mongoose chick-a-dee. Songbird, I think?" He glanced up at her, "It may surprise you to know that I don't like tarts. But what the hell, who am I to turn down a free ticket to an All-You-Can-Fuck Buffet?" He covered his face again, "Not that it worked out as I'd planned." Indeed, he'd ended up supplying the buffet.

She'd heard of Mina Mongoose before, but paid it no never mind. "Shadow. Are there any other injuries you think I should know about? Any that I can't see?" she asked, knowing that he'd know exactly what she was hinting at. "You can tell me. Anything and everything will be kept confidential. Nothing leaves this room. _Nothing_..." She was now referring to the photographs, hoping that Shadow wouldn't brag about what he'd seen of her.

"Doctor Blossom?" Shadow muttered, "You... you do know you don't need leverage against me?" he looked down again at the bunk, "I'm going to find the bastard who did that to you. A slow and painful death is too good for him. However since it's the most I can deal out, it'll have to suffice. But... I'm not going to _tell_ anybody..."

Amy kept her eyes on her notes, but nodded her head. Shadow could see the emotions spilling out of her; the ones she was too tired to suppress. "I appreciate that. Thank you. But Shadow…" she paused, grabbing hold of the camera, and shuffling it in her hands. "Please don't try to save me anymore... It's not worth it. I'm not worth the pain you'll be put through. Let's just get done with check-up. I'll put in a word for you for good behaviour. Maybe you and Sonic can work out another... meeting, with that singer friend of his. I'm sorry I caused you to miss your one day of liberty…"

"Doctor... Amy," Shadow chuckled despite himself at Amy thinking that would be his only day of liberty, "Just how do you plan to stop me?" he sighed, thinking about his injuries, "You're not the one to blame. And I'm not weak... I'm NOT!" Once again, the doctor had his emotions tangled up. This would all be so much easier if he could just fuck her and get his head straight, "I'll show you... if you'll admit... that _it_ wasn't your choice..." he looked at her bluntly, "We both know the truth, Doctor. Why play pretend?"

Amy glanced up at the camera in the infirmary. Then she narrowed her eyes at him. Shadow had obviously been sexually assaulted during his tenure in Hole Number Three, just as she had obviously been violated when those photos were taken. But to admit something like that to a convict like Shadow, who would surely get himself into trouble with such knowledge, would only endanger him more. "Show me your bruises," she told him, picking up the camera. "Then we'll be done."

"You're _that_ eager to protect that scumbag from me making him eat himself from his own feet up, even though I _will_ find him anyway?" Shadow scowled, "_Women_..." He sat up again painfully, "Oh well. Since you're so keen..." He lowered his pants and underwear, and lay on his back. It was obvious even from the front that Shadow had been raped. His hips and thighs were painted with bruising of every colour, visible even through his black fur, and there were many slashes and tears from Scourge's nails and quills. She only caught a glance at his tail-hole, but that too had been utterly brutalised.

Amy dropped her pen in horror. Just seconds ago, she'd been almost exhausted. But the horrible sight before her was enough to rekindle her adrenaline. "_Shadow!_" she gasped, before calming herself again. A very important part of being a doctor was remaining calm and optimistic, so as to keep her patients feeling the same way. "I'll be... right back," she told him.

"Take your time," Shadow told her dully, staring unblinking and blankly at the ceiling. He hated anybody to see him potentially vulnerable. Including the Doctor he wanted so fiercely to have for his own, "No rush…"

Feeling her eyes welling up with tears of compassion for Shadow's plight, Amy hunted for her painkillers. And her needle. Despite how sullen and objectionable he was right now, Shadow needed help. He'd been hiding the full extent of his pain all day. And she was the only person in a position to care.

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Breech: Yeah, Shadow's seen Amy naked and he didn't like it quite as much as he thought he would, eh? Review! Review right now!


	6. Race The Sun

Prison Island Break

By Breech Loader

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Breech: Looking at the length of this story, if I'd known the story would be that long, would I have even started it? Never did I dream that it would even now be kicking at 250,000 words. And yes, I'm including Season One (in my favourites) because don't let anybody tell you otherwise; I was the co-writer for that.

Oh geez, it's hitting in at the length of two novels!

And you're still reading! I love you guys!

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Chapter Fifty-Seven: Race The Sun

The Bleachers in the prison yard were dangerously exposed, while yet having many nooks and crannies beneath. The perfect place to get horribly assaulted, as Silver had found out a little while ago.

Shadow was sitting at the top, reading two books at once, without the slightest concern for his safety. One was a magazine with Anthromorphic porn. The other was a copy of 'Dante's Inferno'. He licked a finger and turned a page meticulously.

"Yo! Shadow-Man!" Sonic was climbing up the bleachers himself. He sat next to the dark hedgehog with a grin, and Tails sat beside him. Shadow looked slightly better than yesterday. Less ready to collapse, at least. His bruises, on the other hand, were really coming out, "Missed you last night, girlfriend. Didn't figure you'd be staying the whole night in the Infirmary. Wanna spill what happened? See, we were supposed to-"

"Just get it over with," Shadow interrupted sharply, "And then shut the hell up."

"Huh?"

"You know what I mean," Shadow gritted his teeth, not looking up from his books, "I was… accosted… by the convict Scourge and turned up looking like I'd been pummelled by a sackful of doorknobs. I spent the night in the Infirmary. I just _know_ you've been longing for this since I got back. Get the gloating over with." He licked a finger, and delicately turned another page.

"You think that's what I'd do?" Sonic asked his cellie. In a way what had happened to Shadow was kind of karmic… extremely karmic, in fact… but it wasn't something he'd really want to laugh about. Apart from everything else, if Mephiles was happy to pull that sort of thing on Shadow, he'd be fine with pulling it on Sonic too.

Shadow didn't hesitate with his answer, "Yes." In fact, while he was still thinking about that, he was hideously distracted by the memory of those dreadful photographs that had been taken of Amy. He was going to find out who had done that, and _kill_ them. He was going to peel their fucking _skin_ off, and eat their goddamn _heart_, "You'd do it while I'd be in perfect fighting condition, so why wouldn't you do it while I'm still trying to rebuild my… reputation?"

"Not cool, Girlfriend. Not cool. That's not how it works, y'know," Sonic pointed out. He sighed, knowing that Shadow really did believe that, and knowing that something like that had probably happened before, for him to do so, "You protected the Doc," he put a friendly hand on Shadow's shoulder, "I already told ya that I'm proud of ya, buddy, and-"

Shadow stood up, shaking off Sonic's hand, "Don't touch me, Fag! I'm not your 'buddy'!" he snarled down at Sonic, "Proud of me?! What the hell are you; my estranged father?"

Sonic had known Shadow was going to be like this. He didn't know _exactly_ what had gone on in that Hole, but he understood the plot, and it was nasty. He was going to have to work out what went down better; being nice, or being tough. With Shadow, being tough was more likely to provide the desired results, but there was that balance between niceness and really fucking things up permanently, "And you haven't broken," he answered, "You're still the same rough, tough asshole that you were before. I _know_ that bastard Mephiles sent you in there to die. But you came out fightin'. That's why you're on the team. That's always been why you were on the team."

"No, that's why you _want_ me on the team," Shadow scowled, pacing rapidly and edgily, "Why should I even break out with the lot of you? You've got friends, and family… and I've got nothing but-"

"Point is, Shadow-Man," Sonic interrupted, "You just proved that you do still belong on the outside. Deep down, you hate corruption and sadism-"

"Shut up."

The blue hedgehog knew he had to think and talk smart, because Shadow was smart too – he didn't fall for reverse psychology and on top of everything else, he was always paranoid, "And you didn't beat the shit out of Silver; you knew there was no point in thrashing that little fish to get your rep back-"

"Shut UP!"

"So like I said, I figure there's a place for you outside. You know… if you felt like joining it." Well, that wasn't entirely the truth. If Shadow actually, miraculously, turned sane, Sonic wouldn't pass up on having him as an ally. But as he was… well, Sonic didn't care what he did once he got out, as long as he did it a long way away.

Shadow looked at Sonic, fury rising in his eyes as he pulled a fist back, genuinely ready to blow up all over again, "You're saying… you're saying…" He paused. He wasn't entirely sure of what Sonic was saying. He knew what the blue hedgehog was _doing_, in a manner of speaking. But he couldn't decide if it was pity, a compliment, or manipulation, "You know what? Fuck you." He lowered his fist again.

"Yeah, okay," that one had been pretty damn close, "But at first I thought you were just some kind of mindless monster who just fought and killed and raped. Guess you proved me wrong, huh Shadow-Man?" Sonic grinned at the dark hedgehog. He could see his words having a gradual effect. He just hoped they'd have the _right_ effect.

"Hmmph," Shadow grunted, "It's none of your fucking business who or what I am, Streaker."

"I figure with you being my cellie and all right now, it pretty much is. After all, whatever you are is what I have to live and work with, at least until we get the hell out of here," Sonic pointed out, "It's only gonna be a few more days in here. But then there's gonna be a nice little two-week trek through the jungle and you'll be leading us on that one. Before, I didn't know if I could really trust you on that. Now, I figure I can." They were words he needed to say. And also they were words Shadow needed to hear.

Shadow fell silent. His bruises were really coming out now, looking worse than yesterday, and it was impossible to know what the psychopath was thinking. Sonic could see him looking out across the yard, most likely musing on the fights, the exercises, the games, the plans all going on out there.

Then he did what he always did, when he found himself thinking about something he didn't want to think about. He changed the subject. "What was your father like, Sonic?"

"Huh? You what?" Sonic asked, taken off his guard.

"I can be prying and interrogative too. Your father. What was he like? I can make guesses but…" Shadow waved his hand vaguely, "Only you know," he smirked, "Unless I ask Manic."

"Are you threatening my bro?" Sonic narrowed his eyes.

"Only if you don't tell me about your dad," Shadow returned, his face completely straight and unable to read. He wasn't really threatening Manic. He didn't really care what Sonic interpreted his words as, "Come on. All pieces to the puzzle, one might say."

"My dad…" Sonic didn't particularly want to talk about it. Not to Shadow, certainly. But if nothing else, it might help gain the red-streaked hedgehog's trust. In any case it was no gigantic awesome secret, "I never really knew him. He left Mom when me and my bro and sis were like, five. Don't know why, don't care; he was a total asshole."

"Like father, like son," Shadow snipped in.

"Heh. And I thought you had no sense of humour," Sonic became serious again, "He came back when I was eight for a few days but… he didn't stick around. Turned out he was only there to like, bum some cash offa Mom, sleep on the couch for a week and spend a couple of days telling us bullshit about how much he really loved us and we'd understand when we grew up a bit." he gritted his teeth, "He turned up again when we were 15 and damn right I understood by then; my dad's a fucking deadbeat loser who couldn't handle the responsibility of tying his goddamn shoelaces, let alone taking care of three kids," he paused briefly, "I haven't seen him since, and I don't give a shit if I never do again."

It seemed to Shadow that Sonic had a few unresolved father issues. Then again, Doctor Blaze was always running her mouth about how the red-streaked hedgehog had them too. "You're not _just_ in for robbing a bank," he stated, "After I gave that lecture to those Juvies, I looked you up properly. You're a member of a political party classified as a terrorist organisation by the government. That party wants to start some kind of revolution."

"Got a problem with that, Girlfriend?" Sonic checked.

Shadow glared, and nearly didn't reply, but then shook his head, "It's not your little party I have the problem with. I just don't trust _you_. And I wouldn't trust you with opening a bag of mixed salads, let along as the leader of a break-out clique," They watched the yard for a while, "But then again, I've found it's safer to not trust anybody."

"What's not to trust about me?" Sonic joked, "I'm handsome, fast, and a genius."

"You're vain, reckless and arrogant, is what you are," Shadow snapped at him predictably, before picking up his magazine and his book. But despite his words, Sonic suspected that he'd made some progress with getting the psychopath to trust him. Maybe.

There was another silence between them, until Sonic broke it, "The plan's still going ahead, you know. In fact, I'm sending Tails to the Infirmary today to pick up that cell phone. We'll be ready to roll in a couple of days…" He looked down over the yard. He managed to catch Tails' gaze, and the kitsune started climbing up the Bleachers to him.

"You let him have a very long leash," Shadow pointed out.

"I don't need to keep him in my back pocket to know he's a good kid," Sonic replied, "He's my friend, not my slave. And if some bastard hurts him, I swear to GOD that I'll kick their fucking asses inside-out. I can defend him without needing him right nearby. I'm that cool."

"And you think it makes you look more like me," Shadow added dryly, and saw Sonic's look, "Going it solo. Not quite as easy as it looks though, is it?"

Sonic didn't dignify that rhetorical question with an answer. As Tails reached the top of the bleachers and sat next to him, he ruffled the young kitsune's bangs, "It's time to get rough. But it'll look worse than it is. My Deuce here is gonna need to do some real good acting."

Shadow looked from Sonic to Tails. It would forever perplex him as to how Sonic, a young man designed by nature to draw attention to himself, dodge traps and outrun security 'bots, had ever managed to meet, let along make friends with, Miles 'Tails' Prower – a young man designed by nature to sit quietly in a dark room and manipulate computer code, "So your plan involves beating up a low-rung punk," he growled, lowering his reading material a little, "How inventive you are, Streaker."

"Hey. Better I be doing it, than a muscle-head like Knuckles," Sonic shook his head, "Unlike some people, I do my own dirty work," Sonic paused and grabbed Shadow's shoulder, making the dark hedgehog look at him, "Listen, Shadow-man, we're gonna get out of this place. I know it's possible. And you know what, Shadow? If you're right, and this plan doesn't work… I'm gonna keep trying more plans until we do. _All_ of us."

Shadow pushed him back and frowned, "How do you _do_ that?" he asked.

"Well I just happen to be so awesome and-"

"Not that, you _idiot_. The other thing. How do you stay so cheerful? Why don't _you_ just kill yourself and get the pain out of the way? How can _you_ face today, when it's so fucking awful? What do _you_ do to bear it?"

"Same thing you do, I guess…" Sonic paused, then looked up at the sky with a grin, "I look up at the sun every morning. And I race it to tomorrow."

Shadow laughed mockingly. Then he looked up with the blue hedgehog, his expression perfectly neutral and unreadable.

"I thought I was the only one…"

* * *

Also in the yard, Silver was scurrying about, feeling like a hunted rabbit as he tried to avoid… well, just about everybody, on his way to find Vector and Espio.

He had to tell them everything he had heard about the escape in the bathrooms. He was starting to get used to feeling like a treacherous little worm now. He still hated it, but he anticipated the idea of having his legs snapped off feeling far more uncomfortable.

He found them playing Scrabble in the fresh air. It seemed Espio was winning by a good fifty points, but Vector didn't seem troubled – he preferred an honest match of wits to playing dirty. At least in these cases. There was no door for Silver to knock, and they obviously ignored him. He hovered for a moment before murmuring awkwardly, "Ahem. Knock-knock, Mister Vector sir?"

"Take two steps away from the boss, and wait there until he answers you," Espio was studying the board until he put down another collection of tiles.

Silver did as he was told, waiting. Each second seemed to drag like an hour, and he fidgeted uncomfortably even though he was trying to stay stock still. He wanted to get this over with - after all, the last thing he wanted was for Sonic, or any of the escape team for that matter, to suspect him of snitching.

He wasn't entirely sure how long it took for Vector to acknowledge him, but it was at least two words later.

"Come in, punk," Silver took one step forwards awkwardly, squirming. Vector still wasn't looking up at him, "Well, what reason do you have for approaching me?"

"I've got more news of Sonic's planned escape, sir," Silver gulped. He could feel one leg starting to shake, "Do you want to know it?"

"Tell me what it is, Preacher," Vector returned, "It had better be something useful this time."

"Well, I don't know about useful… But it is fresh," Silver started speaking, "There's just been a meeting. The meeting happened without Shadow there, and I think… I think Sonic might be feeling the pressure..." Espio and Vector left a silence for him to fill, "Shadow wasn't there. What with being in Hole Number Three and all. And Sonic said… well, he said that Shadow was gonna need protection when he got back."

He paused for breath. No answer from his boss or subordinate, and he could only continue to speak.

"Sonic decided that… that he'd set up something to keep Shadow from… well, to keep him from going solo, or breaking down completely. Me and the other guys didn't think it was such a good idea but he went ahead…" now Silver was talking faster, hoping to get it over with, "When Nack talked back to Shadow… that was set up."

"Of course it was," Vector sneered, "Nack isn't stupid enough to stand up to Shadow without some real good incentive – like a shiv at his back."

"He didn't want to. Sonic made him. So Shadow winning that fight? It was kind of faked. Shadow's gonna be so angry if he finds out… And me, I still don't see how that's gonna get him on our side. The offer of sex was what was keeping him in line…"

"Ha," Espio spoke to Vector, "_Nothing_ keeps Shadow in line. He does exactly as he pleases, even with the threat of Solitary Confinement with Scourge hanging over him."

"Sonic said if we couldn't get Shadow on his side, he might have to be taken out just to minimise risk to his plan," Silver felt bad about hoping that might have to happen, but at the same time he couldn't see how they would escape without the dark hedgehog as their guide through the jungle.

Vector rolled his eyes. Well, that was obvious. Shadow wouldn't tell the screws about an escape plan. But at this point he and his psychoses were way too much of a liability to allow him to run loose with the information. And Silver was right about one thing – if Shadow found out he'd been given a pity scrap, he'd be _furious_. The striped hedgehog was proud. He had many sayings, but one of them was 'You'll never learn to run with crutches'.

The silence prompted Silver only to speak more – which was the two Mob members' intention, "And there's another part coming up real soon," he added, "Tails is… well, he's going to be beaten up… by Sonic. So that he can be sent to the Infirmary. And pick up the cell-phone that he's going to be modifying. It's gonna help with opening the locks or something…" He awaited some kind of confirmation that he had done well, "And Manic's on the locks, and Knuckles will be taking Tails to Security…"

"Go. Now." Vector ordered him.

"You're not going to kill me?" he checked.

"Only if you don't go," Espio spoke softly.

Silver dodged away, to find somewhere to hunker down away from the rapists and the sadists who didn't even _attempt_ to justify the beatings that they would deal out. Vector and Espio looked at each other.

"So, Sonic seems to think he can keep his escape a secret from the Chaotix?" Vector asked metaphorically, "That he doesn't even need to offer an invite even as his plans come to completion?"

"Boss, for what it's worth he does seem to be relying on being able to control everything all at once – even the parts of the plan he obviously can't control," Espio added, "I doubt his plan as it is would succeed."

"Agreed," Vector nodded, making his move on the Scrabble board, "But that's no reason not to invite us. I bet with us on his little clique he could have his escape all but guaranteed." Sonic hadn't just failed to invite Vector on the escape; he even seemed to think that the crocodile had so little control that he wouldn't somehow find out about it, and didn't need to be told at all.

"It's an insult to omit us," Espio agreed, "As if he doesn't think you can contribute."

"He needs to be taught some goddamn humility," Vector growled, "He needs to learn he can't control everything, all the time. That's _my_ job around here." The two of them laughed together at that, Vector's loud, booming voice contrasting Espio's soft chuckle.

"The punk's learning though…" Espio murmured, "Shadow is not a force to be easily steered."

"Yeah. Shadow finding out he was set up to win a fight against Nack isn't a matter of 'if'… it's a matter of 'when'. He's pretty perceptive for a psychopath. And he's better at biding his time than he looks…" Vector and Espio regarded each other for a long moment.

"Shall I fetch him now, Vec?" Espio asked.

They both looked up at Shadow sitting atop the bleachers, reading his pornographic magazine and 14th century literature simultaneously. Sonic was right there beside him, and Tails was sitting next to him. But they didn't really seem to be talking right now. In fact, Sonic was standing up, as if to leave Shadow alone, and Shadow was making no move to follow.

"No. Not right now. It's too early. We don't want him to have time to cool down, or blow up too early for that matter, do we?" Vector set down some more tiles, "Triple word score."

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Breech: Ooooh. Shit's goin' DOWN. Now Read and Review. Also tell all your friends!


	7. Witnesses

Prison Island Break

By Breech Loader

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Breech: Just a comment to 'A Heart For Stories' on those reviews – I'm not actually _trying_ to make you feel sympathy for Shadow or Sonic or Knuckles. I'm trying to make you INTERESTED in them as felons possessing all the morality of a case of urine samples. Some of them just happen to be worse than others.

So… IT'S WORKING!

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Chapter Fifty-Eight: Witnesses

"Okay Tails. You ready to make this look painful?"

Tails nodded. He trusted Sonic. Sure, this was going to hurt, but he was good at rolling with the punches by now. And unlike other cons, Sonic wasn't trying to hurt him, "Can't say I'm gonna enjoy this, Sonic."

"Tell you what," Sonic grinned, "When you get back, you can beat me up a bit. In fact, you can beat me up as much as you want."

Really, they didn't need to stage a reason. When Tails was supposed to be Sonic's 'property', the blue hedgehog had a 'right' – at least by prison etiquette – to thrash him for any reason or no reason at all. So at least that wasn't a problem.

"Is… Isn't this a bit unfair on Tails?" Silver asked as they approached a suitable area in an open space, "What I mean is, he hasn't done anything to deserve a beating."

"_I_ could thrash _you_ savagely instead, Preacher," Knuckles told him gruffly, "He belongs to Sonic. There doesn't _need_ to be a reason."

"Hmmph," Silver replied. What he wanted to say was _'Certainly you never had a reason'_. But Knuckles scared him almost as much as Shadow. Unlike Shadow, who would possibly rape him if he blew up the wrong way, Knuckles would fuck him for fun. He only had a tenuous grasp of Sonic's word that they were a team to protect him from those two.

"Manic," Shadow spoke suddenly. He had been musing on the things he needed, but now he was sure of them, "You're the janitor, aren't you? I'm going to need about 2000 matches. Take them from wherever and whoever, and get them to me by the end of the day. If anybody has a problem with it, refer them to me."

"That's a big order, dude. What do you need them for, Shadow-man?" Manic asked.

Shadow smirked, "All of the guards have weapons," he grinned rather wickedly, "I plan to level the playing field." He crunched his knuckles one by one.

"Okay…" Sonic looked back to Tails, "Braced, Deuce? Okay guys, scatter. Shadow, Knuckles, you're on crowd control. This happens in the open. Preacher, Manic, you attract one of the Guard Robos over here." He knew he was absolutely going to hate every single second of this, but Tails needed to get hold of the cell phone that had been hidden in the Infirmary as soon as possible. The less times it changed hands, the better.

Then, he started with a quick backhand to Tails' face, splitting the kitsune's lip. Tails started wailing as loud as he could, and Sonic did nothing to quiet him. He'd taken enough beatings of his own to know where it was painful, and where you might just _look_ a huge mess.

Silver and Manic ran to get Guard Robos. Silver kind of liked Manic, even if the guy did seem perpetually stoned; he was like Sonic, but more laid-back. It would have been nice to get to know him better. Well, maybe that could be done after they had all gotten out, "I don't really know much about getting attention," he admitted to the green hedgehog, "I guess I've been hiding a lot from people lately…"

"Y'know Preacher, when we get outta this place ya need to stop cowering," Manic pointed out, "That's what's been getting ya into all this crap. You're putting yourself at the bottom on purpose. Whatever Sonic says, I had to fight to get this job, and I gotta fight to keep it."

"I don't like when you guys call me 'Preacher'," Silver confessed, "It's like you're saying it synonymous with 'scum'."

"So, _do_ something about it," Manic suggested. They glanced behind them. Sonic was still beating on Tails. But there was a Guard Robo there. Human guards might ignore this sort of thing but Guard Robos were more likely to identify fighters – even if they didn't care who had started it.

Silver kicked at the Guard Robo a bit to get its attention, "Dammit, you dumb metal piece of crap!" he shouted, "There's a fight going on! Go on, break it up!"

"Yeah!" Manic yelled, "Or somebody's gonna need to go to the Infirmary!"

"Scanning…" the robot droned, turning to face the beat-down almost leisurely. No wonder there was always bad injuries when the guards moved this slowly, "Excess of aggression identified."

The robot was stomping towards Sonic and Tails. Meanwhile, Shadow and Knuckles were keeping the other inmates from crowding around and blocking any view. Most of the inmates were at the very least guessing that it was some kind of diversion, and were screaming out for more attention to be drawn to it.

The guards got there as the robot did, to the sight of Tails wailing loudly on the ground and looking very bloody and bruised, and Sonic kicking him in the stomach – using his shins, if anybody had looked. Tails had managed to deliberately dislocate his left elbow, and it _looked_ really gruesome.

So obviously the first thing they did, was to grab Sonic, throw him on the ground, and start tazing and hitting him. In the end, Silver considered, Sonic was probably getting the worse deal. Tails wailed louder in further attempts to get attention and smeared the blood over his face to make himself look even more of a mess.

The two human guards looked at Tails dispassionately. But the kitzune was pretty damn good at acting by now, and was really hamming it up, "Dammit," one of them muttered, "Now we've gotta lug this messed up punk to Doc Blossom for a check-up…"

The other expressed his annoyance with the situation by giving Sonic a good kick to the balls, making the hedgehog gurgle slightly. Then the two of them hauled Tails to his feet and started to drag him away. The kitsune made himself a dead weight as he left.

Sonic looked up at the other members of his team with a pained grin, "Guys, we are good to go," he managed.

* * *

Tails continued to make himself look miserable – he often was and had plenty of practice with that expression – and at the same time badly injured, whimpering. It hurt of course. But it was a lot less painful than it had looked.

"Knock knock, Doc," the guards entered the Infirmary with him in tow. The pink hedgehog looked up from sterilising some equipment, "Prower's taken another beating. This time from that blue rat."

"More beatings?" Amy scowled, "It's your job to try and stop the stronger inmates from beating up the weaker ones, you know!"

The two guards looked at each other. Then they walked out. Theoretically Amy had been left alone with a dangerous prisoner. In actual practice, Tails was less dangerous than the North Korean People's Army. And he was happy to see them go. All the less to pay attention when he searched for the phone. Besides, he liked Amy, even though he mostly got to see her in an only semi-conscious state.

"Okay Mister Prower… would you like to tell me what happened?" Amy asked, "Sounds like Sonic isn't such a good keeper as you thought…" She sounded cross.

"Sonic's a good person, Doctor Blossom," he insisted, "Honestly he is. There's a good reason for everything he does."

"Can your eyes follow my finger, Miles?" she asked. She didn't want to talk about Sonic right now. If she was going to forgive him for treating her so… callously… she was going to need some time. And definitely not time in which she was made to think about him being bullied by Sonic, no matter how good the reason was. Tails obliged her request, "Your arm looks painful."

"Well… yeah, it is," Tails smeared the blood on his face, "And Sonic really does like you… he just gets focused and he can't-"

"Did he beat you up so that you could tell me that?" Amy asked sharply.

"No!" Tails insisted, "It's just that…" Well, if everything went right, this was going to be the last time he'd ever see Amy. In fact, none of them would see her every again, "I just wanted to say thanks. Because you're so nice to guys like me."

"And you wanted to tell me that by talking up Sonic?" Amy asked. She held up Tails' arm. He was talking like he wanted to hug her, and it was slightly disconcerting, "Have you got any head injuries?"

"Well… whatever," Tails yelped as she moved his arm, "It's just that prison… does things. Turns good people bad. Turns sad people crazy."

Amy knew all of that, "What does it do to crazy people?" she asked him indulgently.

"I don't know… Maybe it turns them around?" Tails smiled. Now Sonic; he had a wide, charming smile, but it had certain limitations in that it tended to work best on women and girls. When he actually felt like it, Tails possessed a smile that was as innocent and trustworthy as a three-day-baby's, and was marvellous at disguising his intelligence and even his cunning. When he'd been starting out in his criminal career, he had used it to fence goods to the unwary, and then gone on to swindle the obscenely wealthy out of millions of dollars. When he'd moved to the big leagues it had helped him with rising to the position of co-owner of a global company – he had only failed in his takeover because his P.A. had turned out to be a plant from some board members – and they had only been doing that as a last resort to keep him from being in charge.

"Are you sure about that?" Amy was washing off the blood and finding very few actual injuries underneath the mess. She raised one eyebrow meticulously, "The messed up inmates around here don't seem to be picking up."

Tails shrugged, still smiling, "Well, people do say that everything goes full circle. But Sonic isn't bad, or sad… he just gets really focused on stuff sometimes," the kitsune lay down on the bunk and yawned, "I'm tired, Doctor… can I just have a sleep..?"

She smiled back this time, and ruffled his fur kindly, "I'll just…" she grabbed his arm and twisted it. Tails screamed like a little girl as the dislocated joint clicked back into place, but then it felt much better, "…bind up your arm. Then you can rest a bit, before I send you back."

Tails wasn't really tired. Sure, he wanted a rest from Sonic's mild beating. But the important thing was that Amy would let her guard down for a bit. Then he could take a moment to look for that cell phone. He just lay down and closed his eyes, moderating his breathing. Hey, maybe he would catch a nap here. But that'd just make it a bit easier.

Amy started binding up his damaged elbow tightly, helping to keep it in place so that the damaged cartilage could heal. He sighed in relief and lay down on the bunk. She left him to sleep and headed for her office to do some of her paperwork. There was always paperwork. Mephiles generated a lot of paperwork, although for several pretty obvious reasons he himself liked to avoid actually being mentioned on it.

After only about fifteen minutes of poring through patient files and filling out forms in triplicate – which to her opinion, was dull enough to feel like several hours - to her surprise, her phone rang, and she answered.

"Good afternoon. Doctor Amy Rose Blossom speaking."

"_Amy, dear cousin? It's me. Rob."_

Amy's face broke into a wide smile at the familiar and beloved voice of her cousin, Rob O' The Hedge, "Rob! It's great to hear from-"

"_Listen to me, Amy. It hath been some time since we hath spoken. But I contacted thee for a multitude of reasons. Firstly… What dost thou thinkest thou art thinking?!"_

"Er…"

"_Thine parents told me thou art working in a dungeon! Tending to villains and dangerous outlaws!"_

Amy frowned, taken completely off-guard by the unexpected phone call, "Rob, it's _fine_. I'm trying to help people here!"

"_Maybe in another place this might be true, but Amy, thou must see sense! Social charity dost not mean granting monsters refuge!_" Rob shouted down the phone.

Amy gritted her teeth in frustration, "How many times do I have to hear that? I hear it from good men, I hear it from bad men. They use it to protect me, to scare me, to anger me… but now, all it does is to make me more resolute!"

"_If thou art so determined to endanger thineself in the name of charity, I can name many battlefields, many disaster sites, many ghettos and No-Man's-Lands in which to risk thine life."_

"You know I'd only do that if there was somebody to take my place, Rob."

"_I know this means a lot to you, Amy,"_ On the other end of the phone, Rob audibly sighed, _"Why dost thou keep doing this? Thou art not the only one with a need to do the right thing."_

"I'm treating an inmate right now, Rob," Amy tilted her chair back to look at Tails for a minute, "The young man was convicted for Fraud on an international scale, and now he'll be here for the next fifteen years. He gets hurt regularly by convicts. Does he sound like a monster to you?"

"_If he didn't want to go to prison, he should not hath committed a crime,"_ Rob pointed out mildly. It sounded kind of chilly, but frankly it was pretty much true, _"Thou knowest as well as I that there art no such thing as a victimless crime."_

"Urgh!" Amy groaned, "I'm trying to complete my degrees, protect the weak and support the mentally damaged, Rob. I'm not a little girl anymore; you can't just drag me away, and neither can my parents!"

"_Drag you away? I most surely can!"_ The conversation was escalating into a fiery argument, _"Especially if thou refuseth to think like an adult!"_

"Oh no you can't! But you can come visit me sometime! You can't make me leave, and maybe then you'll understand what this job means to me!"

"_Visit you? I most surely will!"_ there was something of a pause as Rob caught his breath, _"Very well, dear cousin. I understand your dilemma. Thou wantest to help those in need. But even thee must know thou art in danger every day!"_

Amy sighed, remembering how Mephiles had treated her, "Yes, Rob. Yes, I do. But these men need _somebody_. You _know_ how corrupt people can become when they're exposed to power… and how few people they answer to."

"_Yes. But heedest my words, Amy, I will come visit soon. And when I do, at least consider taking some time off… then thou canst see how these men can indeed live without thee."_

"Rob… Honestly, I know you have my best interests at heart but…"

"_No buts, Amy! Thou art not listening again!"_

* * *

Less than ten feet away, Tails was pretending to be dozing. He had been lying like that for almost two hours now, enjoying the opportunity to rest as well as waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his move, but he was now actually listening to one half of the argument that was engrossing Amy on the phone. It sounded like whoever was on the other end was yet another person who disagreed with her working in such a dangerous place. The idea of her getting hurt certainly didn't appeal to the kitsune, but he much preferred her presence to risking a different doctor who might not be so nice.

He wasn't sure whether to grin at his good fortune or… well, it certainly wasn't easy to understand an argument when you could only hear one half of it. And the half that he could hear was more than slightly stifled by the door between them. It seemed to switch between shouting and calm discussion quite rapidly. As always, Amy didn't want to leave the Penitentiary.

Either way though, he shouldn't waste time. He scrabbled under the mattress, praying that the cell phone would be there. Sonic hadn't actually mentioned which mattress it was under, and he had been hoping it was this one.

After almost a minute of frantic searching, he quit with that bunk. He looked up at the office, past the frosted glass window where he could see the doctor's shadow at her desk.

He slid out of the bunk he was on quietly, his bare feet making almost no noise on the linoleum. Then he tiptoed over to the other bunk, and started looking under that mattress, keeping his head down.

"Oh, come on, come on!" he whispered, scrabbling there. He thought he could see Amy standing up from her desk already, and if she came in here while he was out of the bunk, she'd get suspicious for sure. And if she spotted him with his hand under the bunk, she'd look too. Besides, he wasn't sure he'd get another chance to get the phone. Maybe she'd already found it and disposed of it. Maybe some other patient had already found it.

"Please, please, _please_…" he hissed to himself, almost panicking. The doorknob was starting to turn.

As if in answer to his prayers, his small hand closed around a small, rectangular object; a slightly silvered colour. He yanked it out and all but vaulted back into his bed, climbing under the sheets. Then he shoved it into his pants. They were just baggy enough that they didn't leave a bulge. He could only hope that he wouldn't be searched upon leaving the Infirmary.

Amy came out of her office. And then, to Tails' surprise… Mephiles came into the Infirmary. The warden made the kitsune cringe, even if he paid almost no attention to somebody so quiet. And obviously he didn't start now, ignoring him completely and heading straight for Amy. She drew herself up with dignity, her expression icy.

"Amy…" he smirked, "I saw the cherry trees blooming in the Prison Gardens and thought of you," he revelled in her expression of disgust, knowing that under that disgust she was afraid of the power he now held over her.

"What do you want, Mephiles?" she spat his name with venom, covering up her discomfort from being in the same room as him. Just as she was starting to be able to convince herself that he had no emotional hold over her, he had to shove his nose in here again.

"Oh, just the pleasure of a conversation with you, Doctor…" he leered at her and wrapped an arm around her waist, feeling her flinch, "Shall we?"

"Ugh…" Amy shuddered and pulled away, walking into her office, fully aware that Tails was watching. She watched, annoyed, as Mephiles took her chair at her desk, again, "Haven't you taken enough from me, Mephiles?" she asked him.

"What? Who's to say I've come here to take from you, Doctor?" he asked, "What if I wanted to _give_ you something?" he laughed at her expression of horror, "Just kidding, Doctor. Of course I'm here to take something."

"Like what?" Amy snarled, crossing her arms defensively.

"Like that lovely camera of yours," Mephiles sneered. He stood up and walked over to Amy, "Just for a little while. I know Shadow had to come here for a checkup, Doctor. I know you document all of your patient's injuries…"

"Yes, it's in my job description," Amy pulled away from Mephiles as he tried to put his hands on her shoulders, and glared up into the reptilian eyes that didn't quite mesh with his mammalian form, "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do, Mephiles? My job?"

"That camera documents Ursula Leslie Robotnik's injuries," Mephiles reminded her coldly, "And I want it back."

"Yes, I bet you'd love some photographs of how he was somehow savagely raped and beaten while he was in _Solitary Confinement_," Amy snapped, "I told him it would not leave this room and-"

"And you also tell everybody you're a doctor," he chuckled suddenly and grabbed Amy's hips, pressing them to his and, perversely, grinding a little. At least she was wearing her Riders Uniform – and mentally swore that from this moment she always would. But it was still one of the most horrible things that had ever happened to her.

Amy yanked herself away from him, "Why won't you just let me do my job and take care of these wounded men?" she asked bitterly. Shadow's injuries had been horrible – to say the least. The camera held the proof of what Mephiles had allowed to be done to him.

"Because my job is to keep this pit full of evil-minded demons ticking along nicely," he looked at her, seeing how reluctant she was, "The camera for your job, Doctor." He held out his hand, "Don't worry your pretty little head about the photographs. I'll make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands."

"You really do love seeing people in pain, don't you?" Amy looked in her drawers before pulling out the camera that held so many cruel pictures. She dropped it into his hand. She wasn't sure now if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Shadow had seen those photographs any longer, "It's all a game to you, isn't it?"

Mephiles smirked and pocketed the camera, "I never was much good at games." He stepped behind Amy and put his hands on her shoulders – but not gently. Rather, his grip was to keep her in place, "I was a _very_ bad loser."

"Oh?" Amy turned to face him, and her eyes narrowed to slits, "Then we _do_ have something in common…"

"How perfectly adorable you are, Doctor," Mephiles laughed at her, sliding one finger into her waistband and twanging the elastic slightly, before easing his hand in a little deeper and feeling her shudder, "Face it. You're become just as low and disgusting as any other individual within these walls."

"As long as it's anybody other than you, that's a compliment," she was more than disgusted at his perverse actions, but hiding the distinct fear caused by his intrusive fear too, "Now get your hands out of my clothes, and get your face out of my Infirmary."

Mephiles shook his head, amused both at her fire and at the way she believed she could in some way threaten him, "I admire your denial, Doctor. But you've already lost. All that's left is for you to admit it…" his gaze travelled down her body as she pulled away from his travelling fingers, "Maybe there is something more to take from you…"

"Out!" Amy repeated.

"I'm leaving!" he laughed and left her office, "Don't worry, Doctor. You'll get the camera back when I've finished with it…" He passed through the room without even acknowledging Tails' presence.

To Tails, Amy looked more than a little hassled. But she calmed down upon seeing him now awake and lying down, "I guess Mephiles coming in woke you up, huh?" she asked him, "You… didn't hear any of that, did you?"

"Oh, not a word," he smiled at her innocently, "I guess I… wasn't as hurt as I thought though. I shouldn't have been so rude to Sonic…"

"Pft," Amy didn't feel like bringing Sonic up again right now. But compared to somebody like Mephiles, the egotistical hedgehog was a saint. Hell, compared to Mephiles, psychopaths like _Shadow and Knuckles_ were saints, "Well, I think you're good to go back to the main population now. Do try not to get into any more fights. Don't take off that bandage for at least three days though; it's keeping your joint in place so that it can fully heal. And stay out of fights too."

"Doctor, that is one thing I always try to do," Tails beamed.

* * *

Breech: Damn but writing Rob's Ye Olde English talk is tougher than it looks. Also, now that you've read it, review it!


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